Approximately ₹100 crore in outstanding scholarship payments owed to minority students is set to be released by the state, according to U.T. Khader, who holds the Minorities Welfare, Waqf and Haj portfolio in the Karnataka cabinet. On Tuesday, Khader put forward a set of measures intended to address student complaints and broaden access to education.
Scholarship funding and financial aid totalling ₹494.71 crore are set to reach learners across every level of study — from the first year of schooling through to doctoral programmes — under the department's plans for this academic year. A budget of ₹440 crore has been set aside, though the department is prepared to seek additional funds should the volume of applications exceed what that figure can cover, Khader noted.
An online helpline for students yet to receive their scholarships, or wishing to raise concerns about the process, is set to be launched by the department. A helpline number — 82777 99990 — was made available for students wishing to log complaints. According to Khader, the department would gather personal information on those involved, monitor how each case progressed, and take action in response.
Plans are under way to launch a smartphone tool called "Minority Mitra" through which members of the public can submit grievances tied to matters falling under the department's remit. Among the forthcoming plans outlined by the department were vocational training aimed at broadening job opportunities, dedicated language labs, and an AI-driven platform designed to steer learners toward pathways aligned with their individual interests.
Plans at the department level include revising how NEET preparation reaches pupils enrolled in grades 9 and 10. Under the proposed arrangement, educators would travel to school sites each week to deliver in-person instruction for a set number of hours, supplementing the digital learning already in place.
Plans to open additional Shishunala Sharif schools have taken shape within the department, guided by evaluations of where students face the greatest barriers to access. Plans are in place to break ground on 100 new school buildings before the end of November, with the total outlay pegged at ₹800 crore. Work on the 77 schools that had been started earlier was nearing completion, with Khader noting that those buildings were on track to open before November drew to a close.
Thousands of students enrolled under a Minorities Welfare Department scheme have yet to receive their reimbursements, a situation that led the state government to approach Karnataka State Open University with a request to extend its fee payment deadline, according to Minister Khader. Roughly 13,000 applications for financial assistance came in during the current academic period, with the combined fee burden across those cases put at approximately ₹30 crore.
A total of 8,086 students received places through the department in the current intake, up from roughly 5,000 in the previous one. Funding pressures have put the programme at risk, with budget commitments stretching across multiple years of correspondence study proving difficult to sustain for students from under-represented backgrounds.
Figures from the preceding year show roughly 5,328 students put forward applications, while the funding needed was placed between ₹10 crore and ₹12 crore — nearly double the ₹5 crore set aside through official allocation. Extra financing was sourced to cover the gap left by the deficit. Funding under the plan reached ₹5 crore for the current period, even as the volume of applications climbed noticeably.
Khader conveyed that a request had been put to KSOU for an extension of the fee-payment deadline, with the administration prepared to arrange the finances once the requisite approvals were in place. Falling under the University Grants Commission's oversight, the institution is bound by the regulatory standards that body has established.
Eligibility rules would be drawn up more precisely by the department, with particular attention to how well a postgraduate programme aligns with what a student previously studied at undergraduate level. Khader noted that those who applied had not been given adequate information about funding constraints, and that the government intended to move toward a more sustainable arrangement.
