Education is a right: Orphan quota in government medical and engineering colleges

The state government took a decision to introduce reservation for orphans, starting with this year there will be 1% seats for children who have been residing in orphanages, into the government and corporation medical schools and engineering colleges.

The motive behind the scheme is to motivate students in children’s homes to take up professional education across the state. Though the government didn’t order to implement the decision but it is expected sooner.

According to TOI report, “We will set aside about 10-odd seats in our colleges and if we receive more applications, admissions will be carried out on merit,” Dr Pravin Shingare, head of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, said. “We have provided for so many reservations based on caste and jaati and for defence personnel. There are seats set aside even for geographical reasons like that for students from hilly region and Maharashtra-Karnataka border areas. But this one will truly be supportive for those who have no one in this world to stand by.”

All government health sciences colleges in courses like dentistry, homoeopathy, ayurveda, unani and nursing will set aside seats for orphans, as will government engineering colleges.

A similar quota in government jobs is also in process.

“I think Maharashtra is the first state to reserve seats for such students,” G D Yadav, head of the Institute of Chemical Technology, said. “This is a social issue and there is merit in this case. On humanitarian grounds, this kind of social engineering will make sure that people are not left out of the mainstream.”

Students applying for such reservation will have to mark the option on the admission form and provide documentary evidence that they have been residing in an orphanage from birth to Class XII.

It is reported that the state runs a bal gruha and also hundreds of private orphanages house about 15,000 children.