What does a fellowship mean?
A fellowship is generally a merit-based scholarship or financial aid for research and work in a particular field. They focus on the holistic development of a person and are usually of a short duration. It opens up various avenues for the students such as a career in the research field by specializing in a particular discipline. The reason for the growing popularity of the fellowship programs in India is that the youngsters are more willing to challenge the status quo and work towards development in various sectors.
Should Indian students opt for Fellowships?
The current scenario is a time where big corporates are lending immense support to fund these fellowship programs as a part of their CSR activities. But the difficult part is figuring out whether you should opt for them or not? Mentioned below are some reasons to help you determine whether fellowships are a good option for you or not-
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Passionate about developmental challenges and issues faced by various communities across the country.
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Willing to work for a larger goal with a basic financial or monetary support for about a year or two.
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Willing to work at grassroot levels and travel to remote parts of the country.
If the above points mentioned above hold true for you, you can surely consider trying out for a fellowship program in your field of interest. And should you decide to go for that fellowship here are some of the benefits that you will gain form it-
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You get to work on the issues in the development sector first hand
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A chance to work in the corporate sector in allied roles.
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Pursue research focused higher education
Popular fellowship programs in the country -
There are several fellowships programmes available across various fields and disciplines. Some of the most popular of them being the 'Teach For India Fellowship,' Legislative Assistants To Members to Parliament,' 'Young India Fellowship,' 'William J Clinton Fellowship' and others.
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Young India Fellowship
The Young India Fellowship is a one year multidisciplinary post graduate program. The course structure is spread over eight terms and each term lasts six weeks. The disciplines offered vary from art appreciation to women and gender to fundamentals of law to the political economy of India's development and many more. Another added bonus is that the faculty members teaching these disciplines are experts in their respective fields. The focus is more on practical learning and real-time application.
William J Clinton Fellowship
The William J Clinton Fellowship programme offers both Indian and American students with the opportunity to work with young professionals and leading NGO on various developmental projects. The students gets a monthly stipend and gain knowledge of on-ground development in the fields of education, livelihood, public health and many other such areas. The interaction and exposure that the fellows gain in these 10 months of the program duration helps them gain knowledge and skills and also to explore their passion and commitment while providing them with the means of looking at the world in new ways.
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Teach For India
Teach for India is a part of the global network, 'Teach For All.' Teach for India a two year fellowship program which requires a full-time commitment and is a paid fellowship. Every participant is appointed as a full-time teacher in less-resourced and low income schools. The programme offers fellows a chance to make a difference in the lives of under privileged students and also hone their leadership skills. The programme though is quite challenging and rigorous thus, before enrolling make sure that you are ready for a full-time commitment.
Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament (LAMP) Fellowship
The Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament (LAMP) Fellowship provides the young Indian citizens with a chance to work with the policy makers of the country. LAMP places fellows as a legislative assistant to a Member of Parliament and work closely with them. It's a full-time 11 months duration fellowship that starts from the beginning of the monsoon session to the end of the budget session of the parliament. The fellows are extensively involved in the research work to provide support for the MP's parliamentary work.
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There are a lot of other such prominent fellowships such as the Gandhi Fellowship, Azim Premji Foundation Fellowship Program etc. Most students who opt to go for fellowships are aiming to learn and grasp more knowledge about research work in developmental fields. For more such interesting articles on college life, scholarships and fellowship programs please visit, www.jagranjosh.com.
