The state government of Sikkim has signed an MoU with the Sri Aurobindo Society to create the Auro Scholarship programme for school children in the state.
Monthly micro-scholarships are awarded to K-12 students who achieve benchmark performance in a 10-minute curriculum-aligned quiz through the Auro Scholarship programme. Parents receive up to Rs 1,000 each month in their bank account (Rs 50 per quiz, for 20 quizzes across 5 topics), which they can use to pay for their child's education in a variety of ways.
Children who do not receive scholarships on their first attempt can study and retake the quizzes during the same month to increase their chances of receiving scholarships. The children's accomplishment drive offers widespread incentives to learn as well as parental involvement in their children's education.
Sikkim has become the first state in India to use monthly micro-scholarships to improve learning outcomes in school kids; thousands of students would benefit directly.
The state government has pledged a sum of Rs50 lakh to be distributed directly to Sikkim students.“The alliance is designed to nourish the pupils with quality education, and the programme will grow to other states as well,” said GP Upadhayay, Sikkim's additional chief secretary. The advantages will reach the pupils at the grassroots thanks to the confluence of resources and efforts.”
The Auro Scholar was first introduced at the national level on November 24, 2020, by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank.'
Thousands of students have registered on the Auro Scholar App since the program's nationwide launch, and about 15 lakh assessments have been completed by students since the program's inception. Auro Scholar aspires to reach 25 million K-12 students across the country.