1,534 Bhutanese students receive Indian Ambassador’s scholarship for 2024-25 academic year
Staff reporter
In what is a major boost to educational opportunities for Bhutanese students, the Indian Ambassador’s Scholarship has been awarded to 1,534 students for the academic year 2024-25, grossing Nu 79.65 million.
The Embassy of India recently announced the scholarship, which supports Bhutanese students pursuing higher education in Indian institutions, colleges, and universities.
The scholarship is designed to promote academic collaboration and skills development between Bhutan and India, making higher education in India more accessible to Bhutanese students.
According to a press release from the Embassy of India, India has long been a preferred destination for Bhutanese students, particularly in fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
This programme is part of the ongoing commitment by the Government of India to support deserving Bhutanese students. Through various scholarship programmes, India has enabled countless students to access quality education, further strengthening the educational ties between the two nations.
The press release highlighted that this initiative is a continuation of the close partnership between the governments of India and Bhutan in the realm of higher education and skills development.
In the previous academic year, 2023-24, the Embassy awarded a total of 1,098 Ambassador’s Scholarships. These scholarships were offered in two phases. Some 1,020 students received the scholarship in Phase I followed by an additional 78 students in Phase II.
The scholarship budget for 2023-24 was doubled to Nu 80 million, a substantial increase compared to INR 38.9 million allocated in 2022-23 academic year.
The increase in the budget allowed the Embassy to provide scholarships to a greater number of students and distribute higher amounts across various categories. The disbursement of funds was carried out directly via bank transfers to the students’ respective bank accounts, ensuring transparency in the process.
The Embassy clarified that the scholarships were exclusively awarded to higher education students and did not include school-level students in the past.