Maha to start tribal study centres at G'chiroli, Amravati

Nagpur: Maharashtra govt has approved setting up of tribal study centres at Gadchiroli and Amravati. The brain behind these dedicated study centres is Gondwana University vice-chancellor Prashant Bokare who envisioned preparing tribal students for competitive exams like UPSC, MPSC etc. "Students will enroll at this centre for three years, during which they will study for not only their degree, but also prepare for job recruitment exams," Bokare told TOI.

The idea behind creating such a facility is to increase enrollment of tribal students for higher education, which in turn, makes them eligible to appear for key job recruitment exams. "If they don't have a degree then doors are closed on becoming an IAS or IPS officer. There is a lot of scope in the defence arena, and there too exams like CDS require graduation," Bokare said.

As per govt data, in Maharashtra only 18.9% of tribal students are enrolled for higher education — way below the national average of 28.4%.

Bokare said, "A dedicated study centre for tribal students was needed where they can be enrolled for three years of their degree course, and also prepare for competitive exams. In Gadchiroli, tribals form 39% of the population. But overall enrolment in higher education institutions is not high, which is something we all wanted to change."

He said CM Devendra Fadnavis supported the idea right from the start as he wanted to "empower tribals" in Gadchiroli. "I was elated to learn that the govt has approved the project expeditiously," said Bokare.

In Gadchiroli, the study centre is likely to come up either in Aheri or Etapalli. Bokare's immediate challenge is to get residential status for the Gadchiroli study centre. "I will appeal to the govt to grant it a residential status so that students do not have to worry about lodging and boarding expenses for three years, as they will be coming from different talukas," said Bokare.