STEM Stars: Infosys to Give Rs 100 Crore Scholarship to Girl Students
Infosys launched a Rs 100 crore scholarship program called “STEM Stars” for girl students on Thursday.
The program that supports education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields will benefit girl students from the underprivileged sections of the society, said Infosys Foudation.
“Over 2,000 girl students across India from economically weak backgrounds pursuing graduate and post graduate courses at reputed STEM colleges to benefit from this scholarship”, said the Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic and CSR arm of Infosys.
As well as providing the financial assistance, the program aims at “encouraging” students to pursue courses in Science fields, particularly in STEM.
In India, “Lack of access, mentorship, and monetary constraints” prevents students from STEM courses, observed the Infosys.
Over 2000 girl students from across the country will be selected as part of the initial phase. They must be intended to pursue STEM courses in reputed STEM colleges. Then a four year financial assistance will be provided.
Tuition fees, and living expenses will be covered under the scholarship. In addition, an annual amount of Rs 1 Lakh will also be provided for study materials.
“In its inaugural year, this scholarship will cover NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) accredited institutes that include, the IITs, BITS-Pilani, NITs, and renowned medical colleges”, Infosys Foundation said in a release.
“Poverty denies many youngsters, in India, the right to education, and girls are often the most impacted. At Infosys Foundation, we believe it is vital to support education for underprivileged girl students and to help them realize their potential”, said Sumit Virmani, a Trustee to the Infosys Foundation.
Mr Viramani stressed on the importance of education for women in their empowerment. “Beyond serving just the individual, we’ve seen that education for women positively impacts the schooling of their children, in turn, thus keeping opportunity disparities from becoming a generational issue. That’s why, the ‘STEM Stars’ scholarship program seeks to empower aspiring girl students with a holistic educational ecosystem”, he said.
“We believe this is key to moving our nation forward”, added Mr Virmani.
Infosys Limited is an Indian multinational information technology company that provides business consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. The company was founded in Pune and is headquartered in Bangalore.
