Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 11 (Inditop.com) The International Fellowships Programme (IFP) run by the US-based Ford Foundation will end in 2010, an organisation official said Sunday.
“The IFP was launched in 2001 to broaden access to higher education and help build a new generation of leaders hailing from various groups and communities that lack access to quality in high education,” Vivek Mansukhani, the director of IFP, said.
Mansukhani was in the city to announce the last edition of the IFP.
“A fund of $355 million has been granted by the foundation for over 10 years and the programme offers fellowships across 22 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. The year 2010 will be the last time that we select IFP fellows,” Mansukhani told reporters.
The IFP selects candidates for three years of advanced study.
“We will be approaching the government of India and voluntary organisations to arrange funds to continue this developmental programme. Our conscious aim will be to keep IFP surviving and for this we are also in touch with our alumni,” Mansukhani added.
Applications for 2010 were invited from Indians living and working in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The applicants must hold a bachelor’s or a master’s degree from a recognized Indian University with at least 55 percent marks.
