A total of 100 IIT Madras students from deprived backgrounds, pursuing an online course launched last year, will be getting financial assistance from Renault Nissan Technology Business Centre as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The assistance is only limited to the students of BSc in Programming and Data Science — the degree was introduced last year by the institute as its first-ever online degree. Those interested in availing this financial assistance need to apply for it, along with their application for the course, by December 21. It is offered three times a year and the next batch starts in January.
The course itself aims at catering to students and working professionals around the world and attracts those who are interested in building a career in data science and programming. It is offered in three phases — the foundation course, the diploma course and the as degree programme.
While there are thousands of students who are expected to seek admissions for this course, the CSR initiative has promised to fund the education of only the 100 most eligible.
The CSR project was virtually launched by company heads and IIT faculty on December 15. Dean of Academic Courses at IIT M, Prathap Haridoss, said, “There is a drastic shift in every field from business operations to consumer behaviour which requires expertise in data science. Analytics, data science and programming skills are now essential tools across industries which, in turn, makes our students a valuable resource.”
Managing Director of the company, Debashis Neogi, said, "The importance of data science is evident in almost every aspect of life and with absolute certainty, we could say that the boundless potential of the students will be harnessed at IIT Madras, developing them into a significant resource for the industry.”
IIT Madras BSc programme coordinator, Andrew Thangaraj, said, “We have students from various backgrounds who are in need of financial assistance. The scholarships from RNTBCI will help them to achieve their goals, which would have been impossible otherwise.”
