The Southern Institute ofTechnology (SIT) in New Zealand today announced additional scholarships for students of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal enabling them to pursue advanced studies while engaging in sporting events.

The scholarship, named after famed cricketer John Wright, who is the the brand ambassador of SIT is targetted at students with outstanding sporting and academic records. It ranges from Rs 60,000 to Rs 7.5 lakh.

“The scholarships give successful candidates an opportunity to pursue their sporting and academic dreams. They can pursue their academic goals while gaining valuable sporting experience at the same time. They also can choose to study a wide range of advanced qualifications and subject areas,” Wright, who was also the coach of the Indian cricket team, told reporters here.

The institute aims to enhance student flow to the institute from South Asian countries with the scholarship programme. At present, of the 12,000-odd students in its campus, over 300 are from India.

SIT is a New Zealand government-owned institute, offering 160 programmes from short courses to degrees to post graduate studies.

The John Wright scholarships are available for programmes like post graduate diploma in business enterprises in about nine graduate diplomas, 12 bachelor degrees and a host of diploma programmes.

An institute release stated scholarship recipients not only get the benefit of fee reduction but also an opportunity to play for Southland local teams in New Zealand.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / Home> IE> Story / Agencies: New Delhi / Saturday, November 03rd, 2012