… Deadline for applications on May 15
BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE– If you are liSwati and keen on studying in India, you better read this!
It is scholarships galore in the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), under the High Commission of India, which yesterday revealed that 30 scholarships for emaSwati were available.
According to India Charge d’Affaires Brahman Jagabattuni revealed that applications for students from the Kingdom of Eswatini under the Africa Scholarship Scheme (G0179) for the academic year 2023-2024 were open.
“The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has announced opening of the A2A Scholarship Portal (https://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in). Due to technical reasons, the portal was not open as scheduled earlier. Following is the revised schedule for filing applications and acceptance of the same,” said the India Charge d’Affaires.
Jagabattuni further gave the sequence of procedures with regard to availability whose applications commenced on April 12, 2023 (yesterday).
“May 15, 2023, will be the last date of applying which will be submitted by students and June 15, 2023, will be the last date for Universities to inform the decision (if confirmed, intimation to Missions; if rejected, intimation to students).
“June 30, 2023, will be the last date of allocating scholarships and generating Offer Letters by the High Commission, and July 15, 2023, is the last date of acceptance by students.”
Lastly, he then encouraged those interested to apply, stating that interested emaSwati students were invited online through ICCR’s A2A Scholarship Portal http://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in.
Highlights of the Scheme/Admission process:
(For more information, visit http://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in)
- Applications will be directly sent by students to respective universities.
- These scholarships cover from undergraduate to PhD courses.
- While for the undergraduate courses the age limit is between 18 and 30 years, for PhD programmes, the age limit is between 18 and 45 years.
- Admissions in Medical/Paramedical (Nursing, Physiotherapy, anesthesia etc.)/fashion/law courses/integrated courses such as BA LLB (five years)/B.Sc. and M.Sc (five years), are not admissible.
- It may be noted that for BE/B.Tech courses, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics are compulsory in 11-12 Grades (Form-IV and V) and Mark sheets for Grades 10 to 12 (Form III-V), equivalent level of school should be uploaded along with transcripts.
- Applicants have the option to apply to five Universities/Institutes in the order of their preference.
- A 500-word essay in English is introduced to ascertain English proficiency. Students can also submit their TOFEL/IELTS. Standardised Test scores, if available. If desired, Universities will directly conduct interview of applicants online.
- Rejected candidates will be intimated by Universities.
- As part of Government of India’s guidelines on direct payment to beneficiaries, scholarship payment to students would be through PFMS.
- The scholarships include return economy class airfares and the selected scholars will be issued one way air-ticket to the nearest airport to the University/institution.
- Students are advised to visit University/Institute website and do thorough research of course offered, eligibility criteria and general information before applying for admission.
- Scholarship is awarded only after the High Commission is satisfied that the student intending to study in India has no serious health issues, has not submitted incomplete/fraudulent documentation or any other such parameters, which may negate the objective of promoting goodwill through these scholarships.
- All ICCR scholarship students have to obtain medical insurance coverage on their own at a cost of E750 per annum or its equivalent in Indian Rupees (about INR 4,000/-) which should secure a minimum assured sum of INR 500,000/- equivalent to about US$ 6700/- per annum (E123 030) before their travel to India or immediately after reaching India, whichever is convenient. A2A Portal has two insurance companies for referral purposes. However, students can purchase medical insurance from any of the insurance companies of their choice in Eswatini/India.
- Students are advised to obtain the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) equivalence (wherever required) as per stipulations of the concerned University/Institute in their Provisional Confirmation letter. For this purpose, students may apply at the link https://evaluation.aiu.ac.in/student/login and bear the fees to be incurred on obtaining the certificate at own expense.
- Students are advised not to visit the High Commission at this stage for any queries, without prior appointment. Queries, if any, may be sent at inf.mbabane@mea.gov.in.
