Ras Al Khaimah: An Indian teenager with no means to afford expensive college education in the UAE has bagged a scholarship worth Dh100,000 from a university.
Ras Al Khaimah-based Indian High School student Jyoti Manoj, 19, had topped her class, scoring 95 per cent in Grade 12.
But her dreams of pursuing higher studies in the country remained distant until the University of Bolton in Ras Al Khaimah stepped forward and granted her a full scholarship for a three-year undergraduate programme in accountancy.
Overnight change
“I had almost ditched my plans to study in the UAE. But a phone call from the University of Bolton changed everything overnight,” said Jyoti, whose father’s runs a small electrical shop in the city.
“The shop is not doing well. To supplement the family income my mother works as a sales promoter where she earns about Dh3,000 per month. We struggle to make ends meet and were in no position to afford college education here,” she added. Jyoti said she is grateful to the University of Bolten for recognising her acad-emic achievement.
“I had applied for a scholarship, but I didn’t expect to bag it. Naturally, I am thrilled and am looking forward to enrol in the university for the UK-based chartered accountancy programme,” she said.
- Jyoti Menon, Indian teenager
Her mother Neelam said she is proud of her daughter. “Jyoti is aware of our tough financial situation and has been studying really hard. We used to worry endlessly about how we would pay for her college fees. Thankfully it has been taken care of,” said Neelam.
Raj Nambiar, director of administration at the University of Bolton said: “We work with schools to award scholarships to merit students. When we heard about Jyoti’s academic achievements, we felt she was a deserving candidate. Upon meeting her, we found her family was struggling to make ends meet. We did not think twice before granting the scholarship. Since 2010, our university has granted Dh8 million worth of scholarships to worthy students in the UAE,” he said.
