The first batch of the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship Scheme is all set to fly to the United Kingdom for higher studies…reports Asian Lite News
Chief Minister Hemant Soren felicitated six students and their parents selected for the first cohort of Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship Scheme. They will fly to Britain for higher studies this month. The event honours the legacy of Jaipal Singh Munda, who started his Oxford journey a century ago
Jharkhand Chief Minister Mr Hemant Soren and Minister of ST, SC and Backward Class Welfare Mr Champai Soren felicitated the students selected for the ‘Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship Scheme’ and their parents at an event held in capital Ranchi.
The legacy of Jaipal Singh Munda, who started his Oxford journey a century ago, will now be taken forward by the first batch of selected scholars and subsequent beneficiaries. During the event, Chief Minister Shri Hemant Soren and Minister Shri Champai Soren launched the booklet of ‘Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scheme-Giving wings to the future of Jharkhand’. Six students will go to the United Kingdom this month
The Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship Scheme has been rolled out by the State Government for the students of Jharkhand from the schedule tribe category to pursue higher studies in universities across the United Kingdom. This month, the first batch of the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship Scheme is all set to fly to the United Kingdom for higher studies.
During the event, Tribal Welfare Commissioner Shri Naman Priyesh Lakra briefed regarding the selection process of the awardees and all the benefits which they would be entitled to. The awardees of the scholarship are entitled to a complete cover of tuition fees along with living and ogheet miscellaneous expenses. Under this scheme, every year 10 students will be selected from the Scheduled Tribes category residing in Jharkhand.
Among the students, Hercules Singh Munda is going on to pursue a M.A. at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Ajitesh Murmu is going to study M.A. in Architecture at the University College of London. Akanksha Mery has been selected for a MSc in Climate Change Science and Management at Loughborough University, while Dinesh Bhagat will pursue MSc in Climate Change, Development and Policy at the University of Sussex.
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Apart from this, Anjana Pratima Dungdung has been selected for MSc at the University of Warwick and Priya Murmu will pursue a MA in Creative Writing and the Writing Industries at Loughborough University.
Under the scheme, these students hailing from the Scheduled Tribes will be benefitted with a full cover of Tuition fees, living and other expenses including annual maintenance fees, annual equipment & contingency, visa fees, medical insurance etc.
Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda was the first tribal student to study at the Oxford University in England between 1922 and 1929. Later, he captained the Indian Hockey team for the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, leading them to win a gold medal. Today, almost 100 years later, in the memoir and honour of Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda, Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced a scholarship scheme to support tribal students for pursuing higher studies abroad.
While congratulating the awardees, Minister Mr Champai Soren said: “This day is a historic day in the history of Jharkhand when we are felicitating tribal scholars going abroad to pursue higher studies. This is a proud moment for me when with my signature these tribal students will fly abroad for higher studies, we have seen the struggle of those days when we would somehow manage to go to schools. Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Ji was our role model, who almost a century back initiated a tradition and always advocated for the development of the tribal population. I am glad & proud that we have a youth and visionary Chief Minister in the state who is paving way for a bright future for the youth of the state and larger development of the state. Students of this land would now be able to realize their dreams.”
“Jharkhand is the first state to give scholarships to the students of tribal communities to study abroad,” the chief minister added.
“Jaipal Singh Munda Ji was such a personality, not only in Jharkhand but across the nation, his name will keep shining,” he said. “It is not because he was the first tribal who received higher education at Oxford, he was also a part of the Constitution Committee with Baba Saheb Ambedkar. With immense pride, I can say that despite being a very weak and suppressed community, this state has a legacy of producing leaders like Birsa Munda, Poto-Ho, Veer Buddhu Bhagat, Sidho-Kanhu, Nilambar-Pitambar and many more. We will have to learn from them and take our state ahead on the path of development.”
“Present era is a scientific era and our tribal population is backward in this domain. To motivate and promote the culture of education among the students and ensure that meritorious students need not suffer due to the lack of funds, in past, our government had started a scheme of rewarding top three students from all the Jharkhand boards but later it was disbanded by the new government. However, our government is back and we have restarted that crucial scheme.”
“While keeping our traditions alive, we have to move ahead on the path of development. On World Indigenous People Day, I was sitting with my colleagues and I was discussing the initiation of a scheme to promote tribal students and this scheme came into existence. I was not sure if this would take shape, but slowly we started working and today six tribal scholars are set to fly to the United Kingdom for higher studies.”
“In the memory of our scholar, leader…our respected Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Ji, our government has started this scheme. Jharkhand is the first state in the country to give scholarships to students from tribal communities to study abroad. We hope that in the coming days, other students will also get inspired from them, the tribal youth will represent our culture, our values, our society on the world stage and will bring glory to Jharkhand and the rest of the country.
We hope to support more students under this scheme, if we need to support more students, we will increase the scholar limit 10-20-25 students. Not only tribal students, but we will also try to add other communities within the ambit of this scheme. This is just a start. We have prepared the path; we have to walk miles.”
