Odisha Parents Federation Raises Alarm Over NMMS Scholarship Rejections for OAVS Students
Concerns Raised by Odisha Parents Federation
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Parents Federation (OPF), which advocates for parents and guardians of students in government schools, has voiced serious concerns regarding the treatment of applicants from Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan (OAVS) in Khurda district. They claim that numerous applications for the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) have been unjustly dismissed by local authorities.
In a formal memorandum directed to the Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the School and Mass Education Department, the federation has urged for the immediate reconsideration of these rejections, asserting that 'hundreds of deserving yet underprivileged students have been wrongfully denied the opportunity to apply for the NMMS scholarship.'
The NMMS initiative, overseen by the Union Ministry of Education, allocates ₹12,000 annually to academically talented students hailing from economically disadvantaged backgrounds—specifically those whose parental income is below ₹3.5 lakh—to help mitigate dropout rates at the secondary education level. This scholarship is available to students enrolled in Class VIII at government, aided, or local body schools.
However, the Mahasangha has reported that officials in Khurda have rejected all NMMS applications from OAVS students, mistakenly categorizing these institutions as fully residential, akin to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) or Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs). 'This presumption is both factually and legally erroneous,' the Mahasangha emphasized, noting that many OAVS schools function as day schools without providing free boarding or lodging.
'The indiscriminate rejection of applications without thorough evaluation contravenes the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, and undermines the objectives of the NMMS scheme, thereby denying deserving students the support they need,' stated Basudev Bhatta, president of the OPF.
The memorandum highlighted that the SCERT Odisha’s 2024–25 NMMS guidelines explicitly permit OAVS day scholars to apply if their non-residential status is certified by the principal. Nevertheless, parents from various OAVS institutions in Khurda have reportedly received uniform notifications indicating that all applications were rejected at the district level.
The Mahasangha is demanding an urgent review and reprocessing of all denied OAVS applications in Khurda within a week, a state-level clarification to ensure consistent NMMS eligibility across districts, an investigation to determine accountability for the oversight, and awareness campaigns to inform eligible students.
They have warned that if corrective measures are not implemented promptly, they will escalate the matter to the Ministry of Education, the NCPCR, and the Odisha High Court. A copy of the memorandum has also been forwarded to the OAVS director, while the School and Mass Education Department has yet to respond.