Expert counselling soon for Delhi govt school students: Dy CM

Students of class X and XII in Delhi government-run schools will soon get counselling from experts to resolve their career-related and personal problems, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said today.
From the upcoming academic session, the government will also offer a merit-cum-means fee waiver scheme for needy students who pursue higher studies in any of the six state universities in the national capital.
"There are around four lakh students enrolled in classes X-XII in Delhi government schools. So far there has been no provision of providing any counselling to them for making informed career choices and deal with any emotional problems at personal level," Sisodia told reporters.

"We have tied up with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), counsellors have been appointed and their training process began today. They will offer one-on-one counselling for students, data of which will also be made available online and experts roped in for the purpose," he said.
Sisodia added that only three per cent private schools in Delhi have counselling provisions.
The Education Minister also announced a fee-waiver scheme on merit-cum-means basis for students taking admission in undergraduate courses in six state universities.

The varsities covered under the scheme include GGS Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), Delhi Technological University (DTU), Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IITD), Ambedkar University, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technological University for Women and Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University.

"The scheme will also be extended to the Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology as and when the institution becomes a state university. Students from a family covered under the National Food Security Scheme will get a 100 per cent fee- waiver while those from families with Rs 2.5 lakh annual income will get a waiver of 50 per cent," Sisodia said.
The government will grant 25 per cent fee-waiver for students from families with income more than Rs 2.5 lakh but not exceeding Rs six lakh per annum.
Students getting 60 per cent marks in class XII will be eligible for the scheme while those belonging from SC/ST category will get a relaxation of five per cent.

"All students covered under the scheme will also get Rs 5,000 for books and other expenses," Sisodia said.