SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Aug 22: The Jharkhand government in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), British High Commission, New Delhi is set to send 20 students abroad for further studies under the Chevening Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship Scheme. The initial plan was to send a total of 25 students. However, due to lack of proper documentation five seats remained vacant.
The interview process for the 20 students is completed. The list of selected students is in the final process. The selected students will include students from Scheduled Tribes, Backward Castes, Minorities and Scheduled Castes. All these students will get higher education in the UK’s top universities including Oxford and Cambridge.
The government has also invited applications for the remaining five seats. The expanded version of the scholarship will now cover a maximum of 25 scholars from the earlier number of 10.
A maximum of 10 talented scholars from the Scheduled Tribes, five from the Scheduled Castes, three from Minorities and seven from the Backward Classes will be able to avail the scholarship. The last day to apply for the Chevening Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Scholarship is November 1, 2022. For more information, interested candidates may visit https://www.chevening.org/scholarship/india/.
Notably, the Jharkhand government will bear the cost of higher education of students. The government has decided to send around 30 students from next year. Educational costs of five of these will be covered by a government agency in Britain. The government further plans to sign a MoU in this regard with the FCDO, British High Commission on August 23.
Under the aegis of the scholarship, scholars will receive the academic tuition fees including examination and thesis costs, a monthly stipend sufficient to cover the cost of living of an individual student, allowance package and return airfare of the approved route from the place of residence. The scholarship will be awarded to pursue a one-year Master’s degree at the selected universities of the UK.
According to the criteria set by the state government to get the Overseas Scholarship Scheme, students should have 55 percent or more marks in bachelor’s degree for master’s degree and M.Phil degree. They should also have studied at least two years of studies in the relevant subject, the age of any applicant should not be more than 40, and only permanent residents of Jharkhand can apply for this scheme.
Apart from this, the family income of the applicant should be less than 12 lakh rupees per annum and more than one child of the same parent cannot be involved in this. Applicants need to have 2 years of work, or equivalent experience to be eligible. The scholarship will start in the UK academic year of 2023/24 and will continue in effect for a three-year period that is 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26.
Officials at the Welfare Department stated that last year 10 students from the Scheduled Tribes were selected, who are now studying in Ireland and England. Notably, Jharkhand is the only state in the country to provide 100 percent scholarship to its SC-ST and minority students for higher education abroad.
Of the students sent last year, Hercules Singh Munda was selected to study MA at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Ajitesh Murmu is pursuing his MA at University College of London Architecture. Akanksha Mary has been selected for MSc in Climate Change Science and Management at Loughborough University.
Dinesh Bhagat is currently pursuing his MSc in Climate Change, Development and Policy at the University of Sussex. Anjana Pratima Dungdung is pursuing her MSc at the University of Warwick and Priya Murmu is pursuing her MA in Creative Writing and the Writing Industries at Loughborough University.
