At least 40% of scholars, who won the Chevening Scholarships for the one-year Master’s programmes in the UK’s leading universities, were from tier-2, 3 and 4 cities in India over the past four years, according to Supriya Chawla, Head of Chevening Scholarships, India.
“Several of them were from marginalised cities. Many were first generation learners. They made it completely on merit,” she told The Hindu in a chat on the sidelines of an interactive session on women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) organised by the British High Commission in India in collaboration with University of Oxford, Chevening alumni, and Kerala Startup Mission here on Friday.
Stating that the number of applications for Chevening Scholarships had gone up exponentially, especially from tier-2 and 3 cities, Ms. Chawla said that a notable feature among scholars from marginalised communities was that they shared the knowledge earned from the Master’s programme with the aspirants in their communities. “The notion that Chevening Scholarships was meant for the elite in leading cities has changed,” she said.
Ms. Chawla recalled that a concerted effort was made over the past four years to extend the outreach of the scholarships across the geography. “We reached out to the Chevening alumnae, who were based out of these cities, and urged them to present the details of the Chevening Scholarships before students,” she said.
Nearly 20 Chevening scholars, who went to the University of Oxford for science, innovation and leadership programmes, shared their experiences with around 175 women in STEM and entrepreneurs who attended the interactive session. The areas of discussion included green energy, artificial intelligence, healthcare and incubation of start-ups.
Three women British naval officers – Lieutnant Hannah Beckett, Petty Officer Hannah Chenery, and Leading Mechanical Assistant Natasha Wylie – from naval ship HMS Spey interacted with participants. The ship is currently docked in Kochi for defence engagement with the Indian Navy.
