Stalin to Launch Expansion of ‘Pudhumai Penn’ Initiative for School Girls

Chennai, Dec 19 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. K. Stalin, is set to broaden the Pudhumai Penn initiative to assist female learners in government-aided schools on December 30.

The ceremony will be hosted in Thoothukudi.

Initially rolled out for girls pursuing higher education who completed Classes VI to XII in government schools (specifically in Tamil medium), the Pudhumai Penn initiative aims to boost enrollment in higher studies.

In response to public requests, the DMK government has decided to broaden the initiative to include government-aided institutions, as highlighted in the state budget presented in March 2024.

Through this expanded program, eligible students will be granted a monthly scholarship of Rs 1,000. The school education department anticipates that approximately 49,600 girls in government-aided schools will benefit from this initiative.

A preliminary evaluation conducted by the State Planning Commission (SPC) indicated that 13,681 additional students registered for colleges and diploma programs in 2022 and 2023 due to the initiative.

This marks an impressive 6.9 percent increase in enrollment. Among the participants, 38.6 percent were from Scheduled Castes (SC), 34.4 percent from Most Backward Classes (MBC), and 24.8 percent from Backward Classes (BC).

Salem witnessed the most significant rise in college enrollment at 8.9 percent, followed by Chennai at 5.8 percent, Dharmapuri at 5.5 percent, Tiruvannamalai at 5.2 percent, Namakkal at 4.8 percent, and Cuddalore at 4.1 percent.

The Pudhumai Penn initiative, also recognized as the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance Scheme, was inaugurated on September 5, 2022.

Its main objective is to motivate girls from government schools to seek higher education. Under the initiative, a financial support of Rs 1,000 per month is directly credited to the bank accounts of eligible girls who have completed their studies in government schools from Classes VI to XII.

This financial assistance persists until the students finish their undergraduate, diploma, ITI, or other accredited courses.

As of the end of 2023, the initiative has aided 2,30,820 students. Salem district holds the record for the highest number of beneficiaries, with 17,032 students (representing 7.38 percent), followed by Namakkal with 13,312 (or 5.77 percent), Dharmapuri with 11,915 (or 5.16 percent), Chennai with 11,468 (or 4.97 percent), Tiruvannamalai with 11,146 (or 4.83 percent), and Coimbatore with 10,777 (or 4.67 percent).

Beneficiaries from rural locales, especially in districts like Erode, Tiruvallur, Tenkasi, Villupuram, and Sivaganga, have gained more advantages compared to their urban counterparts.

Approximately 7,110 beneficiaries are studying in institutions recognized under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

Close to 150 students surveyed came from households with a single parent or were orphaned. Utilization of Aid Most students allocate the financial aid towards college and transport costs, with many selecting paid courses to gain essential skills.

The SPC remarked that the initiative could help raise the average marriage age in districts experiencing high teenage pregnancy rates.

The expansion of the Pudhumai Penn initiative is anticipated to further enhance prospects for female students and advance gender equality in education throughout Tamil Nadu.