Mangaluru: At 83, retired teacher K. Narayana Naik continues to travel across Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts to help students from financially disadvantaged families access scholarships and continue their education.
Known among students as the “Scholarship Master,” Naik has spent more than two decades helping students identify scholarship opportunities, complete applications and connect with government departments, trusts and foundations offering financial assistance.
According to reports, his efforts have helped nearly one lakh students collectively secure scholarships worth approximately ₹5 crore over the years. He visits hundreds of educational institutions every year, including schools, pre-university colleges, ITIs, polytechnics and degree colleges.
Naik began the initiative around the time of his retirement from government teaching service in 2001 and later took it up as a full-time effort. His work focuses on an issue that continues to affect students from low-income families: access to information about scholarships.
Reports say Naik travels to educational institutions personally and explains available scholarship schemes to students. He also assists with the application process and follows up where necessary.
The retired teacher has also used part of his pension to support students and cover the costs associated with his continued travel. He reportedly visits more than 350 educational institutions annually across the region.
Naik’s work highlights a less visible challenge in education: financial assistance may exist, but students can still miss out when they are unaware of available schemes or do not know how to apply.
By continuing to connect students with scholarship opportunities, the retired teacher has spent his post-retirement years working to reduce that information gap and help financially vulnerable students pursue higher education.
Preeti is a contributor and author at NGO News Network, covering developments across the NGO and social sector. Her work focuses on NGOs, CSR initiatives, government schemes, social development, community programmes, and important updates relevant to nonprofit organisations and social-impact stakeholders.