The Meghalaya Tribal Students' Book Grant (Post-Matric Education)

What is the Meghalaya Tribal Students' Book Grant?

The Meghalaya Tribal Students' Book Grant (Post-Matric Education) is a state scheme of the Education Department, Government of Meghalaya, administered by the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education (DHTE), Shillong, which lists it among the scholarship schemes it operates. The grant gives financial assistance to meritorious tribal students of Meghalaya for the purchase of books required for their studies.

The scheme runs under a formal set of rules, the Meghalaya Tribal Students' Book-grant (Post Matric Education) Rules, 1982, issued under Notification No. EDN.272/80/4 dated 21 January 1982 by the Governor of Meghalaya. Because the scheme is rule-based rather than circular-based, its conditions have stayed stable for decades, and a reader can check each condition against a numbered rule.

Rule 3 states the purpose: to give financial assistance to meritorious tribal students of Meghalaya for the purchase of books required for their studies in courses other than technical and vocational courses, in any recognised institution in India including the State of Meghalaya.

Rule 2(e) defines a student for this purpose as a tribal student of the State of Meghalaya belonging to the Khasi, Jaintia or Garo community, or any student belonging to such tribes or communities as the State Government may decide to include from time to time.

Who can get the book grant, and who cannot?

Rule 4 lists four conditions, and all four must be satisfied.

You can apply if:

• You are a permanent resident of the State of Meghalaya and belong to the Khasi, Jaintia or Garo community, or another community notified by the State Government, and you hold a certificate to that effect from the competent authority.
• You secured at least 60 per cent marks in aggregate in the preceding examination conducted by the Board or University.
• Your course is a regular course other than a technical or vocational course, in a recognised institution anywhere in India, including Meghalaya.
• You are not employed in any capacity under the Government.

You are not eligible if:

• You are in a technical or vocational course: engineering, medicine, polytechnic diploma, nursing and similar programmes fall outside the scheme by design.
• You scored below 60 per cent in the preceding Board or University examination.
• You hold government employment in any capacity.
• You already received a book grant for a particular course of study and have changed your course. Rule 5 states plainly that such a student will not be granted a further grant.
• You are not a tribal student of Meghalaya as defined in Rule 2(e).

One more limit matters. Rule 7(3) says the sanction of the grant is at the discretion of the Government and no student shall claim it as a matter of right. Meeting the four conditions makes you eligible for consideration, not for automatic payment.

How much is the book grant worth?

Rule 5 fixes the amount per student per academic course:

The Directorate's own summary of the scheme repeats these rates and adds Degree (Arts/Commerce) Pass at Rs 600 and Honours at Rs 750, matching the rules.

The number of grantees is not fixed permanently. Rule 5 says the Department determines it from year to year according to the availability of funds in the Budget, and that selection is made to the extent of funds available and strictly on the basis of means-cum-academic merit.

How to apply for the Meghalaya Tribal Students' Book Grant

1. Confirm you cleared 60 per cent in the preceding Board or University examination and that your course is not technical or vocational. These two tests knock out most rejected applications before they start.
2. Collect the prescribed form. The rules prescribe the application form at Annexure A. Ask your college or institution office first; the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education, Kenilworth Road, opposite Shillong Public School, Laitumkhrah, Shillong 793003, is the fallback, particularly for students studying outside Meghalaya.
3. Attach the documents, Scheduled Tribe certificate showing Khasi, Jaintia or Garo community from the competent authority, permanent residence proof of Meghalaya, the marksheet of the preceding examination showing 60 per cent or more, and proof of admission to your current course.
4. Submit the form through your institution. Rule 6 requires applications to be submitted to the Director of Public Instruction, Meghalaya, through the institution where the candidate is pursuing studies. A form sent directly by the student, bypassing the institution, does not meet the rule.
5. Submit within the date fixed by the Director of Public Instruction. The rules do not fix a permanent calendar date; the Director notifies it for each year, so watch megeducation.gov.in and your college notice board.
6. After sanction, keep the bills. Rule 10 requires the grant to be used for the purpose it was given, and the Director of Public Instruction obtains a utilisation certificate with supporting papers and documents, countersigned by the appropriate authority.

Who selects the grantees?

Rule 7 constitutes a Selection Committee for the purpose:

• Director of Public Instruction; Chairman
• Joint Director of Public Instruction; Vice Chairman
• Under-Secretary, Education — Member
• E.A.O., Member
• Two College Principals nominated by the Director of Public Instruction, Members
• Deputy Director of Public Instruction in charge of Post Matric Education; Member Secretary

The Committee selects in accordance with Rules 4 and 5, and Rule 7(2) specifically requires it to give due weightage to the proportionate representation of the Khasis, Garos and Jaintias. Under Rule 8, the Director of Public Instruction sanctions the grant on the Committee's recommendation.

How is the money paid?

Rule 9 provides that the grant to selected candidates is paid through their parents or guardians, or through the institution in which the candidate studies. That is why the institution's role matters at both ends of the process, it forwards the application and it may receive the payment on the student's behalf. If your grant is sanctioned but has not reached you, the college office is the first place to ask.

Why do applications get rejected?

• Marks below 60 per cent. The commonest rejection, and not negotiable, it is a rule, not a guideline.
• Technical or vocational course. Applications from engineering, medical and polytechnic students are outside the scheme's scope.
• Form not routed through the institution. Rule 6 is explicit about the route.
• Filed after the Director's cut-off date. Late forms are not considered.
• Community certificate missing or from the wrong authority. The certificate must come from the competent authority and must establish Khasi, Jaintia or Garo community, or another notified community.
• Change of course after a previous grant. A student who has already drawn a book grant and switched course is barred from a further grant.
• Funds exhausted for the year. Even a strong application can miss out because the number of grantees depends on the budget provision.

What are the key dates?

The Meghalaya Tribal Students' Book Grant has no permanent statewide deadline. Rule 6 leaves the last date to the Director of Public Instruction, who fixes it annually. Practically, the Education Department advertises its scholarship schemes on megeducation.gov.in and in the local press through the academic year, and colleges circulate the forms internally with their own earlier cut-off so that they can forward a consolidated list. Ask your college office in the first month of the session rather than waiting for a public advertisement.

Where do I complain?

Take an unanswered or rejected application to the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education, Kenilworth Road, opposite Shillong Public School, Laitumkhrah, Shillong 793003, whose scholarship contact email is published as dydhtechnical@gmail.com. If that does not resolve the matter, the Education Department office at Room 222, Ground Floor, Additional Secretariat, Shillong, phone 0364-2224201, is the next step. The Meghalaya Right to Information portal at megrti.gov.in can be used to ask for the year's list of sanctioned grantees and the budget provision if a decision appears to have been made without explanation.