Four students have received full educational scholarships that will see them through to the end of Class 12, funded by the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad through its talent identification programme.
Four others from Meghalaya were selected in 2022-23 – the eight in total are Kheinkor Marthong from Mawrang Upper Primary School in Nongstoin, Banteibok Marwein from St Xavier’s Secondary School in Nongstoin, Jefferson Pariong from St Peter’s Higher Secondary School in Nongstoin, Anubhav Dey from Dr Radhakrishna Boys’ Secondary School in Shillong, John Kennedy Puwein from Sibsingh Memorial Government Higher Secondary School in Nongstoin, E-Phrangdame G Pariat from Shillong Public SS, Wanmon War from Government Public School in Jowai and Rangkynjai Tariang from Shillong Public SS.
Addressing reporters today, Arjun Puri, Dean of Admission at Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, said that the programme awards students full scholarships that cover their education up to Class 12, with each scholarship valued at approximately Rs 1 crore.
He said that the talent identification programme identifies exceptional students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The academy targets students in Class 6 from various regions across India and around the world.
Initially, each school nominated one academically outstanding student from Class 6 for assessment. The initial screening was carried out by the Directorate of School Education and Literacy using the Meghalaya Learning Enhancement Network System (MLENS) assessment platform.
This year there were 358 students in the assessment, of which 209 were shortlisted and referred to the Aga Khan Academy for further selection. Twenty of these were chosen for the final interview and four were selected based on their performance.