IIT-Gn trains young talents from underprivileged section

AHMEDABAD: After his father’s business went bankrupt, Meet Thakkar (20), a student of LD Engineering College, Ahmedabad didn’t have more than two pairs of clothes as he grew up. Fighting his way through the financial hardships, the Maninagar resident is planning to become an astrophysicist. Suraj Kumar GR (20) from Bangalore whose father is a tailor is studying Information Science and working his way through various odds to become an IAS officer to bring a change to the society.Venkatesha K whose father is a labourer is studying Information Science at BM Sreenivasaiah College of Engineering in Bangalore and wants to become an IPS officer. A group of 60 such young heroes who have fought through financial challenges to pursue their dreams took part in a 20-day summer training program at IIT-Gandhinagar.
The program, aimed at enhancing soft skills and technical skills of such students, was organized by Foundation For Excellence Inc. (FFE).
FFE, founded by Indian-American researcher and entrepreneur Prabhu Goel, gives financial support to outstanding students who come from difficult economic background. COO of FFE, Sushma Abburi said, “For the first time we are going beyond financial support and providing training to our students. The idea is to increase students' employability and internship opportunities through mentorship program, technical and soft skills training.” FFE will also provide a scholarship of Rs 1.6 lakh to these students over the period of four years.
Sharing his experience of the training program, Venkatesha said, “It is a great opportunity to be a part of the program as it is has taught us a lot. Apart from the technical skills, we were also taught communication skills which have helped me overcome stage fright in this short time. While we didn’t have to pay anything here it would have been very expensive to take part in such a course elsewhere.”
IIT-Gn supported the initiative by providing classrooms, lab facilities and accommodation. IIT-Gn director Prof Sudhir K Jain said, “We're happy to support such programs. We want to contribute to these bright students and be part of their success in life.”
FFE’s mission is to help economically underprivileged and academically bright students complete their higher education through a Scholarship Program. FFE provides support to students who secure admission to engineering and medicine courses. The scholarship is open to any student studying in India irrespective of gender, religion, caste and community. FFE operates through a network of about 500 volunteers spread over 25 states who play a pivotal role in identifying bright and economically deprived students across India. Since its inception in 1994, FFE has disbursed scholarships to over 14,500 students across India. FFE’s aim is to create a multiplier effect in society by enabling talented students become high income earning professionals.