For Rakavi. A, who scored 476 out of 500 in Plus Two at The Indian Public School (TIPS), Erode, in the 2014 public examination, a prestigious scholarship of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has turned elusive.
She is not in a position to avail herself of the utility of CBSE’s SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education) scheme sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, meant for top one per cent meritorious performers who intend to pursue basic science programmes, due to late intimation of her eligibility.
Students in this category who enrol into education in basic and natural science courses at B.Sc./Integrated M.Sc. or M.S. levels qualify for the SHE funding valued at Rs. 80,000 per year for five years.
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The information reached her only in the last week of July, by when she had enrolled herself for a B.Tech programme. Had the information come a month earlier, Rakavi could have gained admission in basic science courses in any of the leading Government or private institutions, K.S. Muniappan, senior principal, TIPS, Erode, said.
On Saturday, the school authorities invited Rakavi and honoured her. Mr. Muniappan, who felicitated Rakavi in the presence of her parents, said the national standing of the institution where such meritorious students pursue basic science programmes matters a lot. With a cut-off of 190.5, Rakavi opted for the best alternative: enrolling for B.Tech Biotechnology programme at Bannari Amman Institute of Technology.
“I intend to fulfil my ambition to take up research and become a scientist, though I have missed out on the scholarship,” Rakavi said. Her father A.R. Arjun, said that getting the utility of CBSE’s scholarship would have been a privilege. “Yet, I have no regrets since my daughter could still become a scientist in an ideal ambience,” he said.
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The awareness about SHE scheme is yet to dawn on students who have decided to chart out their future in basic science research, Mr. Muniappan observed, calling for early announcement of the list of eligible students by the CBSE. The students must be exposed to DST’s KVPY (Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana), a programme encouraging talented students to take up research career in science, implemented by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, said Mr. Muniappan.