THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was during a paragliding event that the blue skies caught the fancy of a young Sankeerthana. The Plus One student was participating in an adventure carnival organised by Kannur district administration in the summer of 2013. She returned home determined to become a pilot when she grew up.
80 years later, Sankeerthana Dinesh is close to realising her dream, thanks to newly-launched Wings project of the state government to help SC/ST students pursue a career in flying. Under this, the government will bear the entire cost of students, who secure admissions to Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology (RGAAT).
Earlier, the government used to sponsor one student belonging to these sections, who scored the highest rank in the entrance examination. With the launch of Wings, all students belonging to these sections, who manage to get into the rank list, will get government support. On Thursday, five students, who are beneficiaries of the new scheme, met SC,ST Welfare Minister K Radhakrishnan at his office.
“The government has given wings to the dreams of five students. They are successors of communities whose members could not even dare to speak about education in the past,” the minister said in an FB post after meeting the students, who are in different batches of the Commercial Pilot Licence(CPL) course.
Adithyan A.R. another beneficiary of Wings, terms ‘Wings’ a landmark development, which will help students who cannot even dare to dream of the career otherwise. “The course fees ranges between Rs 23 and Rs 25 lakh. It is impossible for students like me to complete this course without government support,” he said. The 23-year-old B Tech holder’s next goal is to pursue a career in defence srrvices. The other beneficiaries of Wings are Saranya of Wayanad, Vishnu Prasad of Kozhikode and Rahul of Thiruvananthapuram.
The Commercial Pilot Licence course is rated one of the best pilot training courses in the country, according to RGAAT. Several alumni are working with leading airlines. Eligibility for applicants is Plus II or its equivalent with Mathematics and Physics.