Thousands of poor meritorious students have been losing out on a Central scholarship for the past few years, thanks to the slack attitude of the state.

The National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) examination that ensures an incentive of Rs 500 per month to needy higher secondary students has few takers in the state. More awareness about the scheme would help, say officials. “Under the scheme, scholarships are awarded to meritorious students whose parents do not earn more than Rs 1,50,000 per annum from all sources. Students studying in Class IX in government, local and government-aided schools can avail the scholarships, which will be paid from Class IX to Class XII. The state has 3,314 scholarships in its quota,” said a senior official from the State Council Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

While 8,941 students appeared for the scholarship examination in 2008, at least 9,972 students appeared for the examination in 2009. Of the 3,314 scholarships, only 2,151 scholarships were availed in 2008. “The reason may be attributed to several factors, the most common being that the students were unable to secure the qualifying marks,” said the SCERT official.

The students are supposed to appear for two tests — the mental ability test (MAT) and the scholastic aptitude test (SAT) of 90 marks each.

“Students must pass both tests with at least 40 per cent in each. Reserved category students must get 32 per cent. But most students fail to secure even the qualifying 36 marks. This is the main reason for their disqualification,” he said.

Students from the coastal belt have fared better than students from Nabarangpur, Gajapati and Malkangiri. Only five students from Gajapati, and 13 each from Kalahandi and Nabarangpur, were selected in 2009. Just six were selected from Gajapati, 12 from Jajpur and seven from Nayagarh, in 2008. NMMS is held on the same day as the popular National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) and candidates for both the examinations have to appear for the same set of papers. Most students choose to appear for the NTSE because it is more prestigious and ensures them Rs 500 per month till the completion of their studies.

“Awareness about the scholarship is being created with whatever limited budget we have for the purpose. But gaps remain. If the government makes provisions for special coaching before the examination, there will be a marked improvement,” another official said. English medium schools such as the DAV and BJEM have provisions of special coaching for this purpose. This year, the NMMS examination was held on November 21 and the results are expected next month.