Ford Foundation invites applications for Masters and PhD fellowships

Following report is from The Pioneer:

The International Fellowship Programme (IFP) has invited application only from eligible candidates currently living and working in the States of Bihar, Chhattishgarh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Information and pre-application forms are available at http://www.ifpsa.org. E-mails can be sent to ask@ifpsa.org.

Announcing this and briefing the media on Tuesday on the details of the program the Deputy Director of the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Programme Neera L. Handa stated that the IFP seeks to build a new generation of social justice leaders in India by offering an opportunity for quality higher education to those groups who have historically lacked access to higher education or have suffered other socio-economic disadvantages. The entire cost of the program including preparatory training is borne by the Program.

The pre-application stage of the four stage selection process closes on December 15. It will be followed by final application, regional interview and national interview stages. The eligibility criteria are a Bachelor or Master’s degree from a recognised Indian University with at least 55 per cent marks and three years of full time experience relevant to the proposed area of study. Additionally, they should have experience in leadership and community development related activities.

As of October 2009, IFP India has selected 280 fellows for Masters and PHD degrees, out of which many persons are from Odisha. Some of them from Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattishgarh narrated their own experiences and the immense benefit they have derived from the program. Two hundred fellows have completed their studies and over 75 per cent have returned to India to serve their communities. This is the last year of the 10 year programme of the Foundation.