HDFC Bank launched a unique scholarship scheme for school children

HDFC Bank leading private bank in India has launched a scheme “HDFC Bank Meritus scholarship”. The scheme is first of its kind related to education program. The aim of the scheme is to cover students of class 4 to 9 across the country and to shortlist the best 5000 students for an educational scholarships amounting to Rs 1.5 crore per year using various academic and non- curricular criteria. Bank has launched this program in alliance with Horlicks.

The HDFC Bank Meritus Scholarship programme is a motivating program, which look for rewarding all-round excellence among students and help add to their overall development. The awardees from all over the country would receive a scholarship ranging from Rs.2, 500 to Rs.10 Lakh.

Publicizing this first of its kind scholarship program, Group Head, HDFC Bank Rahul Bhagat, notified, “This initiative emphasizes the values our Bank stands for. It is a small contribution we are making towards the nation by facilitating young India in its quest for excellence. We are confident we’ll play the role of mentors to these bright children for years to come, and help them create an India that is better, more educated, and, more prosperous.”

Parents have to fill in the registration form available in respective schools to get their wards registered in the scheme. Otherwise, one can also register online by visiting the bank website www.hdfcbank.com/meritus. The last date is February 22, 2009 for submitting the registration form. One can see all the details of the program on the bank website.

To be eligible for the scholarship, registered students have to undertake four rounds of tests - two telephonic and two written, over a period of 16 weeks. To certain the full involvement of the parents in the overall progress of their child, the first two participation rounds will be conducted via telephone through an Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) system. Parents can help their children while taking the IVR test and help them get to the final rounds and in the final round the student has to give a written test. The questions prepared will be largely picked from the existing curriculum so that this program helps them in preparing for their school exams too.

Bank will select the final 5000 awardees on the bases of the final round scores, extra-curricular achievements and academics. To make the selection of scholarship awardees completely fair, an independent panel of qualified judges will select the scholarship awardees.