IIT Gandhinagar To Start A Month-Long Programme To Train 100 Economically Weak Students

The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has joined hands with Dakshana and Mr Ruyintan Mehta to start a month-long “IITGN-Dakshana Leadership Programme” from September 1 to 3. The programme of IITGN is launched to train 100 academically outstanding but economically underprivileged students, predominantly from rural India, in essential skills of leadership, critical thinking, and communication.

The first IITGN Dakshana Leadership Programme will be hosting 100 Dakshana scholars selected from their Pune, Bangalore, and Hyderabad branches. They have been performing exceptionally well in their IIT-JEE preparation at Dakshana. These students come here from the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and other government schools across India after getting selected for intensive coaching based on their academic record and results in Class 10 and Class 12 and Dakshana's proprietary testing. The annual income of these student's parents or guardians is generally less than Rs two lakh.

At IITGN, these students will be trained by some of the best mentors from India and abroad. Atul Singh, Founder, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Editor In Chief of Fair Observer and Peter Isackson, Chief Strategy Officer of Fair Observer, a USA-based independent media organisation, will mentor the participants in the fundamentals of communication.

Uma Oza, an educator and personal growth facilitator with over 30 years of experience, will help the students build their leadership qualities. Professor Jaison A Manjaly, Jasubhai Memorial Chair Professor and Head of Humanities and Social Sciences at IITGN, will train students in critical thinking skills. As a part of the programme, the students will also visit Sabarmati Ashram, Adalaj stepwell, and other heritage sites of Ahmedabad.

Talking about backing this unique programme with necessary funds, Ruyintan Mehta, a serial entrepreneur from the USA and well-wisher of IITGN and Dakshana, said, “I have witnessed the progress of Dakshana students over the last few years. These students are exceptionally smart and have a bright future ahead of them. The IITGN Dakshana Leadership Programme is a way to provide these disadvantaged students with an opportunity to have an equal footing before they start their journey at an IIT and help them reach their potential through essential skill development. It is my way of giving back.”