The ‘Kerala University Acquire Scholarship Camp’ a three-day-long residential camp for social science students, inaugurated in the city on Sunday, is a joint initiative by the Government of Kerala and University of Kerala. It aims to help social science students pursuing their graduation or post graduation under the University of Kerala to acquire advanced knowledge on various disciplines of social sciences.
This is also an open platform where a creamy layer of five students from each of the discipline are selected for State Government scholarships for higher education. Their understanding of the subject and aptitude will be evaluated at the camp. “The finalists not only bag the scholarship but also an opportunity to part take in the State- level social science camp to be held at Kottayam by the second week of August,” says Suresh Jnaneswaran, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Head of the Department of History, University of Kerala.
The camp had its start with an informative talk on ‘Evolution of social sciences’ by Karthikeyan Nair, former director, Higher Secondary Education, Kerala. The talk got the students into the groove of various facets of social sciences. Following the inaugural session their initial ground level doubts were clarified by mentors allotted for each of the disciplines of social sciences. The camp has around hundred students from various colleges affiliated to Kerala University.
Balakrishnan Pulapre, Director of Centre for Development Studies, gave a talk on ‘The Rewards of Social Sciences’ in the afternoon session. The one-hour lecture introduced the students to the positive transitions which social science disciplines have brought about. During his speech, he emphasised that when Indian students are focused and inclined towards learning natural sciences, the students of Western countries give an equal importance to both natural and social sciences.
A talk was delivered on ‘Understanding Politics: An interdisciplinary approach’ by J Prabhash, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Kerala. The day’s programmes came to a close with some cultural programmes, mostly skits performed by students based on socio-economic issues affecting the state and the nation.
The camp will come to a close on Tuesday with a talk on ‘Understanding Kerala Economy and Society: An Inter-disciplinary Approach’ by K P Kannan, development economist and former director, Centre for Developmental Studies.
The evaluations for scholarships began on day one itself, through interactive assessments. The best five of the twenty participants from each of the disciplines - Philosophy, Economics, Politics, Sociology, History and Psychology - will be awarded scholarships. The students were selected for the camp based on their academic performance at college.
At the camp, each of these students are assessed on the basis of their performance in debates on economic and social issues, assimilation of new knowledge, communication skills, progressive and secular outlook. The students will also be assessed for their rational-imagination-critical aptitude. The winners will get an annual amount of Rs 12,000 apart from travel allowances for research work anywhere in India and book allowances of Rs 5000 per annum.
“Five students from each discipline will be allotted two mentors who will guide them through their studies, be it for their theoretical or for empirical research,” says Manju S Nair, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Kerala University. She is also the mentor for students of economics at the camp. “This is the second time that a social science scholarship camp is organised for the students of Kerala University. The achievers from the first batch are presently in their degree final year,” Manju adds.
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