Career counselling desks would be set up in 24 residential schools in Kandhamal district to guide SC and ST students, who have passed High School Certificate (HSC) Examinations this year, on further studies.
A counselling desk would have at least two teachers who would persuade and guide the students to go in for higher education and vocational courses, said a welfare officer.
Apart from this, abour 100 meritorious students from the district would be enrolled in different coaching institutes in Bhubaneswar for professional courses like engineering, computer science and medicine. Nine tribal students of the district had cracked the entrance tests last year.
The initiative would help the tribal students build a better career and reduce the dropout rate, especially among the girls, according to district Collector BS Poonia. The District Welfare Office (DWO) would help the students till they complete their higher or vocational education and land jobs, he added.
The HSC Examinations results in the Government-run residential schools have been very encouraging this year. Eight out of the 24 schools scored 100 per cent results and five among them are girls’ high schools, said an officer, adding that the overall pass percentage was 88. As many as 1,728 tribal students of the district had appeared at the examinations.