Commissioner/Secretary of the Higher Education Department, UT Ladakh, Padma Angmo, chaired a meeting at the Civil Secretariat, Leh, on October 18. The meeting was attended by officials from the Special Scholarship Scheme for J&K and Ladakh (SSSJKL) under AICTE, along with senior officials from the Department of Higher Education and School Education, to discuss issues related to the SSSJKL (formerly PMSSS) and preparations for the 2025-26 academic session.

The Commissioner/Secretary praised the Indian Nursing Council and AICTE for their prompt action in granting a one-time waiver from the state entrance examination requirement for B.Sc. Nursing students from Ladakh, whose admissions had been cancelled this year due to changes in eligibility criteria.

Following a review of the 2024-25 admissions under SSSJKL, it was decided that AICTE would conduct comprehensive training sessions for Nodal Officers from Senior Secondary Schools in both districts in November. This training will enable the Nodal Officers to raise awareness and support students in availing scholarships and securing admissions through SSSJKL.

AICTE representatives briefed the meeting, explaining that the grievance redressal mechanism is being strengthened and emphasized the need for increasing the number of scholarship applications. They also stressed the importance of raising awareness about the scheme to ensure it reaches all eligible students.

Principal of GDC Drass suggested providing detailed information on colleges and their rankings to help students make informed decisions. Meanwhile, Principal of Degree College Nubra requested that awareness camps be held in remote areas like Nubra to further educate students about the scholarship scheme.

The Chief Education Officer (CEO), School Education Department Leh, proposed having a common Nodal Officer in each school to handle both AICTE scholarships and those from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs/Minority Affairs.

Commissioner/Secretary Padma Angmo appreciated the AICTE team's responsiveness to student concerns and directed the department to publicize AICTE’s grievance portal and the Indian Nursing Council's eligibility criteria for the next academic session.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Ruchir Gupta (Coordinator, AICTE), Kunal Jeet Singh (Director, AICTE), Dr. Nikhil Kant (Deputy Director, AICTE), Ajeet Angral (Consultant, AICTE), Abhishek (IT Consultant, AICTE), the Under Secretary of the Higher Education Department, Ladakh, Director of Colleges, Ladakh, Chief Education Officer Leh, and other concerned officials. The CEO of Kargil, along with the Principals of GDC Kargil, Drass, Zanskar, Khaltse, and Nubra, participated virtually.