India enhances scholarship programme in Sri Lanka

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna announced in Colombo a substantial expansion in the scholarships currently being offered by Government of India to meritorious Sri Lankan students.

Under this initiative, the number of scholarships and Self-Finance slots for Undergraduate, Masters and Phd Courses is being increased from the existing 113 slots to 270 per year.

In addition, scholarship support to deserving students pursuing their GCE ‘A’ level and university degrees in Sri Lanka is being expanded to cover about 500 students annually.

Krishna, who was in Sri Lanka on a four-day tour, highlighted that the programme would be fully funded by an Indian grant assistance amounting to SLR 2.5 billion to implement various schemes for a three-year duration. These scholarships will cover the course fee, cost of books, boarding and lodging, plus a monthly stipend to the scholars.

The initiative encompasses the spirit of the ‘India-Sri Lanka Knowledge Initiative’ launched by Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to India in June 2010. The two leaders had agreed that India would expand its scholarship programme in Sri Lanka to assist scholars not only in regular undergraduate studies but also to pursue higher research.

Towards this end, a new programme titled ‘Maulana Azad Scholarship Scheme’ has been added, wherein 50 scholarships would be provided annually for masters degrees in the fields of agriculture, science and engineering. The slots are in addition to the existing schemes such as Commonwealth programme, SAARC scholarship and the IOR-ARC scheme for courses in Masters and Doctorate degrees. This programme is expected to assist researchers, including scholars employed in Sri Lankan universities to pursue Masters Degrees in some of the world-class institutes in India.

In order to share the benefits of India’s growth story in the field of Information Technology (IT), a new scheme titled ‘Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship Scheme’ has been initiated to provide 25 slots every year for ‘Bachelor of Engineering’ courses in IT, in some of the top-ranked institutes in India. Meritorious students would gain not only from the experience of world-class faculty, but would also get a chance to benefit from campus placements by some of the best companies recruiting students for jobs in India and abroad.

Slots under the ‘Scholarship Scheme for Sri Lankan Nationals,’ which has been renamed ‘Nehru Memorial Scholarship Scheme,’ are being doubled to 120 per year. Under this scheme, students can pursue undergraduate courses in engineering, science, business, economics, commerce and humanities.

Slots under the ‘Self-Financing Scheme’ have been doubled to over 40, which would include seats in medicine, dental science, pharmacy and engineering courses. Although these are seats offered under the ‘self-financing’ category, students selected under this scheme would be required to pay a fee of less than US$ 1,000 per year, which is highly-subsidised compared to such fees in other comparable institutes in India and elsewhere.

In addition, support to deserving Sri Lankan students pursuing their studies in local colleges and Universities has also been expanded. Slots under the ‘Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship Scheme’ have been increased by 50 per cent. A total of 150 deserving students – six from each district – would be selected and monthly monetary support extended to them for a two-year duration, enabling them to complete the GCE A level. Further, preferential treatment would also be accorded to Mahatma Gandhi scholars for higher studies in India.

The Corpus fund of the Ceylon Estate Workers Education Trust (CEWET), largely financed by India for nearly 65 years, has also been doubled to support the education of poor students from the upcountry areas.

 Over 350 students will be selected every year and paid a monthly stipend for a period of two to five years, to enable them to complete their GCE ‘A’ level or university degrees. Additional funds will also be used to further assist children from the plantation areas in terms of books, teaching aids and tuition classes.

Foreign Minister Krishna was optimistic that the expanded scholarship programme would benefit all segments of Sri Lankan society, ranging from school students to university researchers and teachers. He also expressed the hope that the expanded scholarship programme in Sri Lanka will go a long way in further cementing educational ties between India and Sri Lanka.