Karnataka government to waive sports students’ fee

BENGALURU: Chess whizkid Girish Koushik and cue-sports champion Varshaa Sanjeev do not merely spearhead the cream of athletes seeking seats under the CET’s sports quota.
They have ensured that their education will be free with the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES) ready to pay their study fees.
Launched a couple of years without fanfare, DYES’ fee-reimbursement scheme will benefit Karnataka students who have won medals at national and international events.
The scheme is open to students from PU colleges and schools (Class 11 and 12) till post-graduation. In the case of gymnastics and swimming, children from fifth standard are eligible.
The scheme recognizes podium finish at levels from Olympics downwards. At the national level, students ought to have won medals for Karnataka.
Fees approved by the government will be reimbursed. Donations or hefty fee structures which characterize management quota in professional courses do not come under its ambit. The same rules will be in force for physically challenged athletes too.
Girish, who has made use of the scheme, said, “It is a proactive step by the government. It helps us save a lot of money which we can use to further our career in sports.”
Launched in 2013 with a budget of Rs 1.5 crore, the scheme was slated to meet the demands of a majority of the state’s sportspersons. But only Rs 30 lakh was utilized in the first year and Rs 60 lakh in the second, a top DYES source told TOI.
“We introduced the scheme to ensure the best athletes continued to practise their sport without worrying about education. The response has been muted with only around 300 applicants last year,” the source said.
To promote consistent performance in sports, the DYES has stipulated that fees for a particular year would be reimbursed based on the student’s achievements in the previous five years.
“We don’t want students to neglect sports once they get into professional courses. They need to devote time for both to ensure fee reimbursement year after year. But then, there may be occasions where a student may give sports a miss for a couple of years. We will not penalize him or her for that. We will take the performance of the immediate five years on the whole,” the source said.
Around 125 athletes found eligible under the CET sports quota will benefit from this scheme. “Likewise, it will help scores from other streams too. They can approach their colleges or DYES for more information,” the source said.