NEW DELHI: There has been a 16-fold increase in the number of applicants after the government introduced the Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Scholarship For Single girl (SJSGC) last year by expanding the scheme to include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
Launched on Teachers’ Day (5 September) 2022 expanding the program for aspiring PhD students beyond the humanities and social sciences, SJSGC attracted 1,144 applications, of which the University Scholarship Committee has tentatively shortlisted 1,129 candidates. A year earlier, when the program was only in the humanities and social sciences, he had received 67 applications.
About 60% of successful applicants, even from remote regions such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1) and the Northeast (89), are pursuing research in science, engineering and technology. The laureates also include candidates from the socially and economically backward sections.
Besides broadening the scope of studies, the removal of the “limit on the number of scholarship slots” is seen as another reason for the increase in the number of applicants.
Addressing the issue of access makes it necessary to focus on the high attrition rate of females, which is much higher than that of males, said UGC President M Jagadesh Kumar.
The SJSGC was launched following the revision of the previous UGC Single Girl Child Fellowship for Research in Social Sciences scheme, which was open only to scholars pursuing research in the humanities and social sciences.
“This was initiated to increase the reach and benefits of the programme. The scholarship rate under the present scheme has also been increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 31,000 per month as a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and from Rs 28,000 to Rs 35,000 per month as a Senior Research Fellowship. Another important feature of the scheme is that UGC has removed the limit on the number of scholarship slots. There is now no limit to the number of eligible applicants who can avail the benefits under this scheme each year. This feature also enables the scheme to broaden its reach and impact and achieve its objectives,” said Kumar.
Prior to the program’s launch, UGC conducted a study seeking feedback from scholars, who have previously benefited from using the Single Girl Child Fellowship for social science research.
In the study, a scholar from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli shared, “It’s a great help for women like me who don’t need to rely on parents for financial assistance. I could attend conferences and seminars and I could learn econometrics. Many quit just because they have no money. “
Another grantee from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda said, “I had no funds to travel to do literature review in different university libraries in India. This scholarship helped me. Additionally, the software used in this research, satellite data obtained from Isro, as well as the purchase of books and stationery, and laptop repairs were all accomplished with the help of this grant. “
A third recipient from Aligarh Muslim University said, “This scholarship has strengthened me. I conducted extensive fieldwork, which would not have been possible without it. “
Launched on Teachers’ Day (5 September) 2022 expanding the program for aspiring PhD students beyond the humanities and social sciences, SJSGC attracted 1,144 applications, of which the University Scholarship Committee has tentatively shortlisted 1,129 candidates. A year earlier, when the program was only in the humanities and social sciences, he had received 67 applications.
About 60% of successful applicants, even from remote regions such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1) and the Northeast (89), are pursuing research in science, engineering and technology. The laureates also include candidates from the socially and economically backward sections.
Besides broadening the scope of studies, the removal of the “limit on the number of scholarship slots” is seen as another reason for the increase in the number of applicants.
Addressing the issue of access makes it necessary to focus on the high attrition rate of females, which is much higher than that of males, said UGC President M Jagadesh Kumar.
The SJSGC was launched following the revision of the previous UGC Single Girl Child Fellowship for Research in Social Sciences scheme, which was open only to scholars pursuing research in the humanities and social sciences.
“This was initiated to increase the reach and benefits of the programme. The scholarship rate under the present scheme has also been increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 31,000 per month as a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and from Rs 28,000 to Rs 35,000 per month as a Senior Research Fellowship. Another important feature of the scheme is that UGC has removed the limit on the number of scholarship slots. There is now no limit to the number of eligible applicants who can avail the benefits under this scheme each year. This feature also enables the scheme to broaden its reach and impact and achieve its objectives,” said Kumar.
Prior to the program’s launch, UGC conducted a study seeking feedback from scholars, who have previously benefited from using the Single Girl Child Fellowship for social science research.
In the study, a scholar from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli shared, “It’s a great help for women like me who don’t need to rely on parents for financial assistance. I could attend conferences and seminars and I could learn econometrics. Many quit just because they have no money. “
Another grantee from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda said, “I had no funds to travel to do literature review in different university libraries in India. This scholarship helped me. Additionally, the software used in this research, satellite data obtained from Isro, as well as the purchase of books and stationery, and laptop repairs were all accomplished with the help of this grant. “
A third recipient from Aligarh Muslim University said, “This scholarship has strengthened me. I conducted extensive fieldwork, which would not have been possible without it. “
