HYDERABAD: In a bid to attract more students to pursue higher studies abroad, the British Council of India has presented Rs 3 lakh to eight winners of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scholarship award 2014. It will also serve as a financial grant to encourage them to pursue higher studies abroad.
After carefully scrutinising hundreds of applications, Yashna Malhotra, Wilston Prajwal Dsouza, Ahish Vishwanatha, Ritwik Athalye, Nikita Kohli, Neelakshi Rajeev Tewari, Supreet Mahanti and Raghuvir Dass – were the eight fortunate students selected by the British Council of India. “We launched this programme in 2010 and so far 32 Indians have had the opportunity to study abroad with the help of the scholarship,” said Sarah Deverall, director of examinations in India.
The students will receive `3 lakh each towards the cost of tuition fees for their undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate study abroad. Emphasising on the advantages of IELTS over other language proficiency exams, Devarall said, “The exam is accepted in around 9,000 colleges in the United Kingdom and 3,000 in the United States of America. It tests the candidates’ knowledge in the things they already know rather than making them learn something new.”
Over the years, there has been a significant drop in the number of students applying to colleges in the United Kingdom due to the stringent visa policies. “Whatever the rules we have for the Indian students, we keep in mind the protection of the system and have the best interest of the student in heart,” he said.
One of the reasons why many students across the country refrain from travelling to UK for their higher studies is because they feel they will struggle to find work after completing their higher studies. Devarall, however, feels that this is a complete misconception. “Students can work there for three years after completion of their education,” said Andrew McAllister, British Commissioner in Hyderabad. The 2014 winners are from across India and will be studying at universities in the UK, Canada, Germany and United States of America.