With the inclusion of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) studies in the Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child (SJSGC), the total applications have grown by 16 folds. The revisions in the fellowship, introduced on September 5 last year have led to over 1,144 candidates sending in their applications, reported a leading news daily. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has provisionally chosen 1,129 applicants for the scholarship programme.
The earlier UGC scheme, the Single Girl Child Fellowship for Research in Social Sciences, was open for scholars pursuing research in humanities and social sciences only. The fellowship had received only 67 applications when it was limited to humanities students.
The report further states that apart from expanding the scope of studies and removing the “cap on the number of slots for fellowship” is also another factor for the jump in the number of applications.
UGC Chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said that focusing on the high dropout rate of female candidates is needed to address the issues of access to education. He also asserted that the revision was initiated to increase the scheme’s reach so that more students could avail of its benefits.
“The rate of fellowship under the present scheme has also been increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 31,000 per month as Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and from Rs 28,000 to Rs 35,000 per month as Senior Research Fellowship,” Kumar said.
He further mentioned another prominent feature of the scheme is that the Commission has removed the cap on the number of slots for the fellowship. There is no limit on the number of eligible applicants who can avail of the benefits under this scheme each year. This feature will further enable the SJSC to widen its impact, as well as meet its objectives.
Coming back to the SJSC fellowship, approximately 60 per cent of selected candidates, including those from remote regions such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the northeast, are currently pursuing research in science, engineering, and technology. The beneficiaries also include students from economically backward sections.
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