Plea to upgrade Adi Dravidar Welfare schools into high-standard residential schools with Central aid disposed of

Disposing of a nationalist involvement litigation petition that sought a absorption to the State to instrumentality indispensable steps to upgrade the Adi Dravidar Welfare schools and hostels successful Tamil Nadu and person them into residential schools, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed the petitioner beryllium granted an audience, his suggestions taken enactment of and incorporated wherever possible.

A Division Bench of Justices Anita Sumanth and C. Kumarappan directed the Director of the Directorate of Adi Dravidar Welfare to get indispensable inputs successful this respect from the competent authorization successful Madurai and different districts truthful that a due determination could beryllium taken arsenic expeditiously arsenic possible.

The tribunal was proceeding the petition filed by C. Selvakumar of Madurai. The petitioner said the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department was moving 1,138 schools - 833 superior schools, 99 mediate schools, 108 precocious schools, and 98 higher secondary schools - crossed the State. In summation to this, 1,131 hostels had been established to supply residential enactment for the Scheduled Caste students.

Despite the infrastructure, pupil enrolment had been steadily declining. As per the authoritative information published connected the department’s website, for the world twelvemonth 2024–2025, the full enrolment stood astatine 76,300 students, a 20% alteration compared to erstwhile years. Many hostels were under-utilised and functioning with a precise fewer students, helium said.

Although successive governments announced payment measures for the Scheduled Caste students, ineffective implementation by officials resulted successful declining enrolment and deterioration successful acquisition standards. Tamil Nadu already had capable infrastructure of schools and hostels nether the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department, helium said.

He said if these institutions were consolidated and upgraded into high-standard residential schools with Central Government’s assistance, it would summation pupil enrolment, supply prime coaching for national-level competitory examinations, heighten wide acquisition standards, and amended the socio-economic conditions of the Scheduled Caste students.