BYJU’S awards Aakash +BYJU’S scholarships to 3000 aspiring engineering and medical students from remote parts of India
BYJU’S has awarded Aakash+BYJU’S scholarships for 3,000 aspiring medical and engineering students from some of the most remote areas of India as part of its Career Plus programme.
Announced as part of BYJU’S partnership the NITI Aayog, the scholarship exams were conducted to identify and provide high-quality coaching to Class 11 and 12 students for JEE and NEET across India’s 64 aspirational districts, empowering them to take charge of their future. Over 10,000 students from remote locations such as Balagir, Dantewada, Nandurbar, Kiphire, Dumka, Mamit, Singrauli and more appeared for Aakash+BYJU’S Admission Cum Scholarship Test (ACST) out of which 3,000 students have been awarded the scholarships. Top 40 performers from each of the districts have been selected to receive the scholarship. Classes for this cohort will commence in the first week of June 2022, with applicants receiving mentorship, expert coaching, online learning tools and devices along with competitive exam support completely free of cost for their entire coaching period of 2 years in medical and engineering streams.
Commenting on the development Mansi Khasliwal, VP- Social Initiatives, BYJU’S said “At BYJU’S, we believe that education is a basic right, and every child should have access to it. Through the scholarships offered under the BYJU’S Career Plus Programme with NITI Aayog, we aim to empower and equip students with the power of education and ensure they are no longer left behind due to limited resources, location constraints, or socio-economic barriers. We remain committed to helping students reach their true potential and shape the future of the nation.”
All of the students who appeared for the Aakash+BYJU’S Admission Cum Scholarship Test belong to low-income families in aspirational districts and have been among the 200 top-performing students in their respective districts based on predetermined academic criteria. Additional requirements included a minimum of 70% in science and math in grades 8 and 9 and an average of 75% in science and math over the two-year period.
The test was conducted in three phases from December 2021 to April 2022 in the 67aspirational districts amid challenging conditions and witnessed participation from 10,000 students (approximately 60% boys and 40% girls). Exam supervisors in remote districts like from Baramulla and Kupwara (Jammu & Kashmir) were stranded due to severe snowfall on their way to the exam centres.
In the next phase of the Career Plus program, BYJU’S will provide students with learning material along with mentoring support and guidance. With the aim to ensure that every child deserves access to quality education, this partnership will provide children from socio-economically underdeveloped districts free access to BYJU’S high-quality and tech-driven learning programs. This initiative will combine the best of classroom and online learning, thus providing a hybrid model of education. Apart from dedicated centres for implementing support, students will also have access to digital infrastructure in the form of devices such as tablets or smartphones.
