Ashramshalas (Grant in Aid)

What is the Ashramshalas (Grant in Aid) scheme?

Ashramshalas (Grant in Aid) is a Tribal Development Department scheme of the Government of Gujarat that pays a 100 per cent grant to non-governmental organisations to run residential schools for Scheduled Tribe children. The Gujarati word ashramshala simply means a residential school run in the ashram tradition, where schooling, boarding and lodging sit at one place.

According to the Tribal Development Department, the government "launched a scheme to give 100% grant to NGOs for starting residential schools, known as Ashramshalas", and the scheme has been in operation since 1953. A grant of Rs 1,500 per month per enrolled child is paid to the school, and against that grant the child receives free education, hostel accommodation, textbooks, meals and items of daily necessity.

Why the scheme exists

Tribal families in Gujarat's eastern belt often cannot meet the cost of keeping a child in school, and children are pulled into traditional occupations or wage work to support the household. Putting the school and the hostel in the same compound removes the daily travel problem, removes the cost problem, and lets a tribal child complete schooling and compete for employment on the same footing as other students.

Scale of the scheme

• 577 Ashramshalas across the state, serving about 93,180 students.
• 454 schools for standards 1 to 8, with 69,991 students.
• 90 Uttar Buniyadi Ashramshalas for standards 9 and 10, with 8,457 students.
• 34 Uchchattar Uttar Buniyadi Ashramshalas for standards 11 and 12, with 3,702 students.
• 126 vocational schools, with 11,030 students.

Who is eligible for an Ashramshala seat?

A child can be admitted if:

• The child belongs to a Scheduled Tribe listed for Gujarat.
• The family's economic condition makes it hard to meet schooling costs, which is the stated ground for the scheme.
• The child is seeking a seat in a standard the school actually offers to 1 to 8, 9 to 10, or 11 to 12 depending on the type of Ashramshala.

A child cannot apply if:

• The child is not from a Scheduled Tribe. Non-tribal children are not eligible for a grant-funded seat under this scheme.
• The Ashramshala does not run the standard the child needs; in that case the family has to look at the Uttar Buniyadi or Uchchattar Uttar Buniyadi school in the taluka.
• The child is already availing a government hostel seat for the same year under another Tribal Development Department scheme, since duplicate residential support is not allowed.

An NGO is eligible for the grant if it:

• Is a registered trust or society working in a tribal area of Gujarat.
• Enrols at least 15 boys and 15 girls at inception, and at least 10 boys and 10 girls every year up to standard 7 thereafter.
• Provides residential education covering standards 1 to 8, 9 to 10, or 11 to 12, with the hostel, kitchen and classroom infrastructure to match.

An organisation that cannot meet the enrolment floor, or that has no separate boarding facility, is not eligible for grant-in-aid, however good its intentions.

What documents are required?

How to apply for an Ashramshala seat or grant

For a student or parent

1. Identify the Ashramshala serving your village or taluka, the district project administrator's office of the Tribal Development Department maintains the list.
2. Visit the school before the academic year begins and ask the principal for the admission form.
3. Fill the form and attach the Scheduled Tribe caste certificate, the child's Aadhaar card, and the previous school leaving certificate if the child is transferring.
4. Submit the form at the school and collect an acknowledgement or admission slip.
5. Report on the date given, since hostel seats are allotted against confirmed admissions.

For an NGO seeking grant-in-aid

1. Obtain the prescribed application format from the Tribal Development Department, 6th Floor, Block 8, New Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar, or print it from the departmental page.
2. Prepare a detailed proposal covering the organisation's track record, the proposed location in a tribal area, classroom and hostel infrastructure, kitchen facilities, staff and wardens with qualifications, and the plan for boarding and lodging.
3. Attach the registration certificate, recognition certificate, bank account details, infrastructure and staff details, and — for a renewal. The utilisation certificate for the previous grant.
4. Submit the complete file to the Tribal Development Department and keep the inward acknowledgement.
5. Cooperate with the departmental inspection of the premises, which verifies infrastructure and readiness to run a residential school.
6. On approval, collect the sanction letter, which records the grant of Rs 1,500 per month per student and the conditions of operation.

How much is paid, and what does it cover?

The grant is Rs 1,500 per month for every enrolled child. Out of this the Ashramshala meets the child's tuition, hostel accommodation, food, textbooks and items of daily necessity. Nothing is collected from the parent. Because payment follows verified enrolment, an Ashramshala that reports students who are not actually attending risks recovery of the grant at audit.

The three school types matter for planning a child's education: an Ashramshala covers standards 1 to 8, an Uttar Buniyadi Ashramshala covers 9 and 10, and an Uchchattar Uttar Buniyadi Ashramshala covers 11 and 12. A family should check early which type is available nearby so a child does not have to break schooling after standard 8.

How do you check the status of an admission or a grant file?

For a student, the school itself is the point of contact, the principal maintains the admission register and the hostel allotment list. For an NGO, the file moves from the district project administrator to the Tribal Development Department at Gandhinagar, and the inward number given at submission is what you quote when asking for the stage. The departmental telephone number is +91 79 23257703.

Why are applications rejected, and how do you fix them?

• Caste certificate missing or in a different spelling. Get the ST certificate from the mamlatdar with the name spelt exactly as on the Aadhaar card.
• Admission sought after the school year has started. Approach the school before the session begins; hostel seats are limited by sanctioned capacity.
• NGO below the enrolment floor. A school that cannot show 15 boys and 15 girls at inception, or 10 boys and 10 girls a year thereafter, will not clear inspection.
• No separate hostel or kitchen. Grant-in-aid is for residential schooling. A day school with no boarding does not qualify.
• Previous grant not accounted for. A renewal proposal without a utilisation certificate for the earlier grant is held up until the accounts are filed.

Where do you complain or ask for help?

Take a school-level problem: food quality, warden conduct, fee demanded despite the scheme being free, to the principal first, then to the district project administrator of the Tribal Development Department for that district. Nothing is payable by a parent under this scheme, so any demand for money is worth raising in writing. State-level grievances go to the Tribal Development Department, 6th Floor, Block 8, New Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar 382010, telephone +91 79 23257703. The department also runs pre-matric and post-matric scholarships and government hostels, which a family can use alongside or after Ashramshala schooling.