Fellowships

Applications are now open for the Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) flagship fellowship for aspiring future Indian leaders, is aimed at high-flying and goaldriven, mid-career professionals from different backgrounds.

Twelve fellows are selected each year by the Commonwealth office, with strong leadership qualities and managerial skills. The intensive, 12-week programme is a fully-funded residential course, and is conducted at the University of Oxford’s department of politics and

The fellowship addresses issues faced by leaders in all fields and explores changing ideas and practices in leadership, looking at the implications of globalisation for Indian leaders.

Chevening is the UK government’s international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders.

Funded by the FCO and partner organisations, Chevening offers two types of awards to students – Chevening Scholarships and Chevening Fellowships. Launched in 1983, the awards are offered in over 160 countries. There are over 46,000 Chevening alumni in the world and over 2,300 in India.

Applications for the programme are open until March 27, 2017. Apply online at www.chevening.org/pro-

You teach South Asian politics and history at Sciences Po (Paris). Do you think there’s a difference in the way politics and history are taught in India and at Sciences Po? What are the major differences in curricula?

There is no difference between the curriculum I follow at Sciences Po and those my colleagues follow at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University (DU) or Ashoka University. Social sciences — like hard sciences — have a universal quality: if history is not taught the same way in France and India, there is a problem — it may reflect political pressures, or self-censorship.

You were Director of CERI at Sciences Po between 2000 and 2008. If we particularly talk about social sciences, in India, we hardly see students getting into social Do you think it is important to include a component of research in all streams of education in the undergraduate level, so as to promote the culture of research in students eventually in their careers?

The sooner the better. In certain schools like Mahatma Gandhi International School, girls and boys are initiated into research work at a very young age. Research gives you a sense of initiative and a critical mind, something you need whatever the career you want to embrace. Besides, for a university, to proteachers,

What are the career options i a student opts to get into pure research – especially sociopolitical research?

There are many possibili ties. First, India needs more teachers and more universi ties like the ones I’ve already mentioned. Second, data is a huge problem too: socia scientists are needed for sur veys that would supplement or even replace the existing ones. Third, NGOS can also hire social scientists, be they involved in the fields of edu cation, human rights, civic liberties, etc. Their number is diminishing, but they will not