In 2016, NIAS-EGT attempted to reach gifted students in the age group of 16-18 years. This age is critical in India since children make important choices about their subjects for higher education. Unlike the west, it is extremely difficult for children in India to move across, Science, Arts, and Commerce streams. In other words, the choice of subject at your post-secondary schooling determines the career choices available to each student. The fellowship aims to identify and nurture talented students from diverse socio-economic background from rural and urban areas. The collaborated effort of NIAS-MAIYA PRODIGY Fellowship with Iyengar Foundation, National Education Society, Bengaluru is to provide financial and mentoring support to students who are in a phase of choosing their career paths. The identified students are supported with a one time fellowship award of (INR 50,000/-) and an active mentoring initiative to accelerate youth achievement in promoting the development of India’s Gifted Young. This programme provides the students an overview of the possible avenues of career choices and links them to mentors who act as guides while they are initiated into their disciplines. The students are provided information about the new developments in multiple fields and the possible research groups working on cutting edge research in these specific fields. The programme, hopes to mentor the students for at least five years to facilitate appropriate mentorship, which is crucial for children belonging to rural and tribal populations. The student is provided an opportunity to explore a wide range of knowledge domains to make an informed choice for their respective careers.
The programme also gives the students a platform to engage in various projects that helps them gain specialised knowledge and experience in their particular areas of interest. For this, many established professors in diverse fields are part of the mentor’s pool of the NIAS-MAIYA PRODIGY Programme. The programme also places many student mentors from eminent institutions like IISc. This allows both students and mentors to work along with a project in close interactions. The mentors stay connected with the mentees on a one-to-one basis through regular meetings and online interactions.
Eligibility And Selection Criteria
The eligibility to apply for the fellowship is that the student must have scored over 80% in their tenth grade in the past academic year. In order to identify the best of the talents from different regions and social backgrounds, NIAS MAIYA PRODIGY Fellowship is a highly competitive but inclusive selection process. Students who have completed their tenth grade with a minimum of 80% score from across urban and rural areas of the country are eligible to apply for this fellowship. The selection process involves a written test that assesses the in-depth knowledge in areas of their interests and their preparatory steps to acquire deeper knowledge in the subject area. The tests are designed to understand student’s specific areas of interest and their awareness and empathetic views on social problems they see in their day-to-day lives. The written essays are evaluated for creativity, problem-solving skills, analytical skills, and ability to think out of the box. The shortlisted students are selected for the interaction round.
The interaction round aims to understand students’ motivation and personal effort made by him/her to advance their understanding in areas of their interest. Additionally, the child's ability to synthesize knowledge, provide unique responses, and defend the same through a logically constructed argument is tested in the interaction round. The identification of students is based on the creativity and innovative thinking reflected in the written test and the interaction round.
A platform to engage in various projects helps them gain specialized knowledge and experience in their particular areas of interest.
