Tamil Nadu: Career guidance to push enrolment in higher education

CHENNAI: With a mission of transitioning every high school student into collegiate education, the School Education Department and Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC) will be conducting the two-phase programmes – Kalloori Kanavu and Uyarvukku Padi – in May across Tamil Nadu.

Kalloori Kanavu (college dream) will be conducted in the first week of May, and Uyarvukku Padi (study to reach heights) will most likely be held in the end of May or June first week, said officials with TNSDC.

A total of 77,752 students have been enrolled in higher education institutes through Naan Mudhalvan Uyarvukku Padi programme in the last two years.

The two initiatives by the government departments will solely focus on reaching out to all students passing out of schools, especially those belonging to vulnerable sections of the community.

Kalloori Kanavu and Uyarvukku Padi (2024 and 2023 respectively) aims to provide support and guidance to students while also tracking those who have dropped plans of pursuing higher education. Under the Naan Mudhalvan initiative, Kalloori Kanavu, with its takeaway from 2022, provides career guidance to support and empower students who have recently passed Class 12. As per TNSDC, in 2022, over 75,000 students benefited from this initiative, following which the 2024 edition was held in May across 38 districts, providing guidance to over 1.12 lakh students.

In the case of Uyarvukku Padi, the programme was introduced specifically to address the critical issue of youngsters dropping out of higher education. With the assistance of line departments including respective district administration, School Education, Social Welfare, BC Welfare, AD and Tribal Welfare department and importantly banks, which could aid students in providing education loan, TNSDC conducted a month-long event last year.

As per official data, in the 2022-23 academic year, out of over 3.97 lakh Class 12 students, 2.39 lakh enrolled in higher education, more than 45,400 students applied for higher education, and over 1.13 lakh either did not apply for college, or provided insufficient data for enrolment. In the following academic year, out of 3.31 lakh Class 12 students, over 1.97 lakh applied for college. But, around 1.34 lakh students either did not apply or provide enough details during college admission.

Hence, to ensure enrolment of 2.47 lakh students from 2023 and 2024 academic years, TNSDC conducted the drive across the State.

Speaking to DT Next, Kranthi Kumar Pati, MD-TNSDC said, “After board exam results are declared, we’ll begin the programmes. In the career guidance sessions, we’ll concentrate on students more prone to dropping out. After the first session of counselling and college admissions are through, we’ll expedite work to trace students not enrolled in college, kick-starting Uyarvukku Padi.”

Pati added that this year, focus will be on vulnerable groups, and if there were students unwilling to opt for regular college education with compulsion of venturing into employment, TNSDC will introduce skilling option with assured placements.

Some of the reasons why students don’t pursue higher education are lack of information/affordability about higher education, fear of transitioning to college, marriage/planning to marry, societal constraints such as caste among others, including lack of support from parents. K Kathiravan, HoD-biotechnology, University of Madras, said, “Firstly, one of the main reasons is lack of school teachers. Students, especially in Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare schools, do not have a conducive environment to discuss and educate themselves in scopes in higher education. There is hesitation among these students in choosing science courses in college.”

Kathiravan, also a convener of TN Federation of University Faculty Association (TANFUA), and other faculties alleged that they had observed students from oppressed communities being discouraged from opting science courses at the school-level itself. “This prevents them from choosing science courses in college. During government’s intervention programmes, this needs to be addressed as well,” he stated.

TANFUA and other educationalists also opined that issues like Route Thala were causing more students to drop out.

Achievements so far

62,039 students enrolled in colleges (2024-25)

Ø 23,021 in Arts & Science colleges

Ø 6,009 in Engineering colleges

Ø 6,000 in Polytechnics

Ø 4,856 in ITIs

Ø 22,153 in other colleges

Boys: 29,238

Girls: 032,801

30,269 students mobilised in 2023, of which 15,713 successfully enrolled as follows:

Ø 7,884 in Arts & Science colleges

Ø 2,144 in Engineering colleges

Ø 1,461 in Polytechnics

Ø 1,876 in ITIs

Ø 2,348 in other colleges

77,752 students pursuing higher education through Naan Mudhalvan Uyarvukku Padi programme in the last two years