The event, organised by the Department of School Education, aimed to inform recent Plus‑Two graduates about higher‑education options and financial assistance, and was inaugurated by District Collector Ranjeet Singh at the ICE Government Higher Secondary School in Tenkasi.
Speaking to parents and teachers, Singh urged them to guide their children without imposing their own ideas, emphasizing that youngsters should be allowed to make final decisions based on their own passions and strengths.
He assured attendees that the administration would facilitate access to educational loans, stressing that financial support should not hinder any student's pursuit of further studies.
Singh also appealed to students to maintain regular contact with their teachers, describing teachers as the "pole stars" who can steer them toward successful careers.
Several parents and a few students present at the meeting criticised the timing of the event, noting that most of the attendees had already enrolled in college and were preparing for their first‑semester examinations scheduled in the next 30 to 45 days.
They argued that the awareness programme would have been more useful if held in mid‑May or June, before students began their higher‑education courses, rather than at the end of September amid ongoing quarterly examinations.