As many as 22 students from different parts of the state, mainly from rural and tribal areas, are now a step closer to chasing their dream careers with right mentorship and financial aid, which many of them would have never thought possible.
Bridging the gap between talented and aspiring students and the opportunities to turn them into all-round academics/professionals, the premier National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) will give away fellowships to selected candidates under the NIAS-MAIYA PRODIGY (Promoting and Developing India’s Gifted Young) scheme anchored at the institute.
The programme, which is in collaboration with the Iyengar Foundation and National College, Basavanagudi, aims to identify talented youngsters at grades 10 and 12 to provide them mentoring. The programme offers a fellowship of Rs 50,000 and mentors students for five years. One-to-one mentorship workshops with experts from different walks of life and academics are organised every year. Mentors from the country and abroad interact with selected students. NIAS Dean and Professor Anitha Kurup told Deccan Chronicle that plans are in the pipeline to extend the programme to other states. “The programme is unique since it focuses on children with exceptional abilities in one or more domain that places the child in the top 1% of their age peers. The potential of these children to contribute to national development is enormous and tapping their talent is critical,” she said.She said that this year, the 22 students were selected by two different expert committees, which included academics from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Mumbai) and Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu) apart from NIAS. In all, 77 students were shortlisted for the final rounds.
“The highlight of the programme is the robust and holistic mentoring that each students will receive for the next five years – the crucial years post higher secondary school level where they will get a chance to get exposure and to understand the real work, tailored to their career interests,” Prof Kurup said.
The Award Ceremony of the third edition of the Talent Search Programme will be held on January 4 from 4 pm at the JRD Tata Auditorium, NIAS. The event, to be presided over by former ISRO Chairman Dr A.S. Kiran Kumar, will be dedicated to late Prof. Baldev Raj, former Director of NIAS who played a significant role in launching this programme.
