Kohima: The School Education Department, Government of Nagaland, on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sarojini Damodaran Foundation for the implementation of the Vidyadhan Scholarship Programme.

The signing ceremony was held at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat, Kohima, on Tuesday.

Advisor for School Education & SCERT, Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome, expressed gratitude to the foundation for partnering with the state. He said the scholarship will primarily benefit students from government schools who have recently passed the HSLC examination, adding that the initiative comes at an opportune time following the declaration of results.

Highlighting the collaboration, Yhome said the programme is the result of sustained engagement with the foundation and its leadership, including founder SD Shibulal. He noted that the initiative is unique in supporting students not only at the school level but also through higher education, including professional courses.

Emphasising the importance of such initiatives, he said that for a state like Nagaland, where many communities live in rural and economically constrained conditions, the programme would help expand opportunities and aspirations among students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds. He added that education remains a key priority for the state and expressed confidence that the collaboration would have a lasting positive impact.

Commissioner & Secretary for School Education & SCERT, Kevileno Angami, described the MoU as a significant step towards enhancing educational opportunities. She said the programme would complement existing government schemes and support eligible students in pursuing their academic goals.

Angami informed that the Vidyadhan Scholarship Programme is currently being implemented in several states across the country and will now be extended to Nagaland. She added that the initiative will be carried out based on specific eligibility criteria, which will be detailed by the foundation.

Principal Consultant of the Sarojini Damodaran Foundation, Pankaj Tripathi, expressed appreciation to the state government for the partnership, stating that it was an honour to implement the programme in Nagaland.

He said the Vidyadhan Scholarship Programme, launched in 1999 in Kerala, is now operational in multiple states and Union Territories. According to him, thousands of scholarships have been awarded so far, benefiting students across the country. He added that the programme goes beyond financial assistance by offering mentoring, career counselling, soft skills training and internship opportunities.

Tripathi further noted that the programme operates on a transparent, IT-enabled platform that allows participation from individual and corporate sponsors, enabling them to track students' progress.

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