In a first, two government school students from Tamil Nadu, one of them the daughter of daily-wage labourers, have been selected to pursue undergraduate degrees in Taiwan with a full scholarship offered by the East Asian country.
While Jayashree Perumal of Pannandur village in Krishnagiri district will study Mechanical Engineering, Avalsindu G Jeyalakshmi of Chennai plans to pursue a course in International Business and Trade, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
Jayashree Perumal's inspiring journey
Jayashree Perumal will become the first graduate in her family once she completes the course. Her parents work as casual labourers in Pannandur village and she completed her Class X at the government high school there. "After completing Class X, I moved to a government higher secondary school in Krishnagiri, which was four to five km away. I scored 576 out of 600 marks in Class XII in March 2022. Since I wanted to clear Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and join a reputable college, I convinced my parents that I would take a break to prepare for JEE. I received coaching for the exam at the Centre for Excellence in Saidapet and I got a seat at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Nagpur," Jayashree said.
"I learned about scholarships being offered by various countries through the Nan Mudhalvan Scheme and applied for them. We were also trained to go through the interview process and write a statement of purpose to get the scholarship while we were at the Centre of Excellence," she said.
Jayashree said she would want to contribute to improving agricultural technology after completing her course. "Even though our family doesn't have farmland, I grew up surrounded by them. I aim to contribute to the advancement of agricultural technology after I graduate," she said.
Behind the scenes
According to sources, around 20 students from government schools across the state applied for the scholarship. "We are planning to raise awareness about scholarships offered by various countries. We have already encouraged many students to apply to countries including Hungary, Japan, Canada, and South Korea this year. More students will apply for these scholarships from next year," said a trainer who assisted the students with the process.
Apart from evaluating the academic performance of students, Taiwan officials, through an interview process, also assessed the ability of students to integrate culturally since they are moving to another country at a young age.
"Of the 120 students who have been awarded scholarships to pursue UG, PG, PhD and other exchange programmes, only three are UG students. The officials also test students’ knowledge about the country and the course they are pursuing. Many countries offer such scholarships so that their firms in India could employ people who are familiar with both countries. While the tuition fee is free, students will also get a monthly allowance to cover their other expenses," he said.
Avalsindu G Jeyalakshmi, who studied Class XII at the Centre of Excellence in Saidapet, said her father works as a civil engineer. "I scored 524 marks out of 600 in the Commerce group. I am excited to pursue an undergraduate degree abroad and looking forward to it," she said.
