ADILABAD: Many Adivasi students are not getting admission to higher educational institutions and jobs too as they do not know how to apply online. They also lack English knowledge in addition to the poor cell phone network in their villages.
The problems have doubled for Adivasi students during the Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdown. They are unable to get the official information about admissions in Tribal Welfare Residential Colleges and other educational institutions.
Many Adivasi students do not have access to newspapers and they are not aware of the new notifications being issued for seats in educational institutions and for jobs in the government and private sectors.
The need of the hour is to set up an exclusive career guidance and counseling cell for Adivasi students and educated youth at ITDA, Utnoor, to give them information about education and employment and motivate them to go for higher education and write for competitive examinations.
On June 21, a group of seven Adivasi girl students who completed SSC came all the way to the ITDA office from interior Pangidimadhara of Tiryani mandal in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. They traveled 60km to get to know how they can apply online for admissions for 2021-22 into corporate colleges provided by the tribal welfare department.
Many Adivasi students are not exposed to laptops and computers and have no idea about applying online for seats and jobs. A small section of Adivasis who have completed Degree in recent years are having some knowledge about using computers.
Adivasi leader Purka Bapurao said a group of Adivasi girl students came all the way to ITDA, Utnoor from Pangidimadhara to apply for admissions to corporate colleges at ITDA as they did not know they could apply online from anywhere.
He said the girl students had just completed SSC and were entering into intermediate education.
Pandram Sangeetha of Pangidimadhara who came to ITDA along with her said they don't know where to apply for admissions into junior colleges and they stepped out of their homes for the first time to apply for admissions.
She said it would be good if ITDA officials extended full support to them to continue with their education.
Officials of the ITDA are supposed to display all the notifications for admissions and jobs on the notice board for the benefit of the student and educated youth.
Community leaders say Adivasi students are coming out of their villages for the first time after overcoming many hardships, but these youths get disappointed when they do not get the support and cooperation from the Tribal Welfare Department. Thus, their journey gets struck before they start.
ITDA officials should set up a cell and create awareness among these students at the village and mandal level through meetings and workshops about intermediate, degree and PG courses that are being offered to them free and are available at educational institutions under Tribal Welfare Department, community leaders add.
