Ranchi: As many as 26 girls from the tribal hamlets of Khunti formally graduated from the US Consulate General Kolkata’s English Access Microscholarship programme at a ceremony held in Khunti’s Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya on Saturday.
The English Access Microscholarship programme, funded by the regional English language office of the US Embassy in New Delhi and the US Consulate General Kolkata, is a two-year programme aimed at providing a foundation of English language skills to bright, economically disadvantaged children and youth from 13-20 years through after-school instruction and intensive sessions.
The programme was launched in Jharkhand in November 2018. As per the US Consul General Kolkata’s office, the programme has been extended to 1 lakh children globally since its launch in 2004. At present, there are 1,800 children enrolled in the programme nationally. Upon completion of the course, the trainees are eligible for various student exchange programmes.
Monica Shie, the director of the American Center Kolkata, extended her best wishes to the girls. Stating that the girls will join 1 lakh students across 85 countries, Shie wished the students well. “You all are women of courage, and you have chosen to challenge limitations, challenge stereotypes, and challenge yourselves. Each of you has shown indomitable strength and resilience through the pandemic to step into leadership roles in your communities, and to commit to a better future for yourselves and your families,” she said in a video message.
Aloka Kumari, one of the students, said: “I aspire to be a teacher and aim to open a free school so that no child remains uneducated due to poverty.”