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As a
premiere Institution for Social Science Research in India, the Institute
for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, has initiated the ‘Social
Science Talent Search Scheme’ to foster social science education among
young students for knowledge and career building. It aims to identify
talented students to get into social science education after 12th
standard (plus-two level) and to motivate them to opt for social science
subjects in their degree courses. It aims to nurture them with appropriate
capacity building, coaching and financial support so as to produce bright
torchbearers from social science background for future policy making –
both at state and national levels.
For the
time being, the scheme is open to only those studying in the
Pre-University colleges falling under the jurisdiction of
Bangalore Division of the Department of Pre-university Education in
Karnataka. More than 800 such colleges are located in the districts of
this Division, viz., Bangalore (Urban), Bangalore (Rural), Chikkaballapur,
Kolar and Ramanagaram.
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students who score the highest marks in the competitive examination
offered under SSTSS are eligible to receive a monthly scholarship of Rs.
500/= pm (for 10 months in a year for 3 years) and an annual scholarship
of Rs. 2500/= for 3 years, i.e., till they complete their BA course. The
monthly scholarship is sponsored by the H’ble Vice-Chancellor, Bangalore
University. The annual scholarship is sponsored by the Karnataka State
Knowledge Commission. The Christ University has sponsored annual
scholarships for 10 students who would join for degree courses in social
sciences in its college. The successful students are eligible to avail of
the above scholarships only if they join for BA courses taking social
science subjects.
The
Institute, in collaboration with the Bangalore University and the Christ
University will offer orientation to the selected students, at its campus,
regarding the utility of studying social sciences and its relevance to
policy making and knowledge-building processes. The purpose of this
orientation is to guide the selected students to undertake suitable career
and post-graduate education. ISEC has collaborated with the above two
universities and with the Karnataka State Knowledge Commission and the
Department of Pre-University Education in Karnataka to organise this
programme and is looking forward to building partnership with other
institutions for better outreach activities and to extend the SSTSS to the
whole of Karnataka, in course of time, with adequate financial and human
resource support.
Initiated in 2010, already the programme has progressed to two years of
successful implementation. The 2011-12 batch of successful students are
now graduated to II year of BA studies in various colleges and have
benefited from both financial support offered as scholarship and capacity
building. The examination for the year 2012-13 was conducted on July 1,
2012 in different examination centres across the districts of Bangalore
Division and in the Christ University campus, Bangalore. The results of
this exam were announced on July 16, 2012 on the website of ISEC, as well
as due intimation to respective colleges where the exams were held. Upon
receiving confirmation about their joining to BA degree course in the
colleges of the above jurisdiction and at the Christ University, they have
been finally selected for award of the respective scholarships. An
orientation is planned in the near future to the two batches, at ISEC, on
which occasion they will also be awarded of their first of the two
instalments of scholarship.
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