Plaksha University has announced — ‘Ayyalasomayajula Lalitha’ Fund — to promote enrollment of girls and women in STEM education, specifically in higher education. In the run-up to UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the varsity aims to award 50 per cent of total scholarships and grants to girls and women to provide equal opportunity and increase the ratio of girls in STEM education, a press release from the institute, said.

The aim is to increase the enrolment of women in the institution to 50 per cent by the academic year 2027 through a two-fold strategy. First, by ensuring that no deserving women candidate is denied admission because of lack of financial resources. Second, by ensuring that the admission process is holistic and not solely dependent on standardised entrance exams or academic preparation.

Prof Rudra Pratap, the founding Vice-Chancellor of Plaksha University (former Deputy Director of the Indian Institute of Science) said, “The policy aims to increase enrolment of women in technology and engineering, which is currently less than 30 per cent. At Plaksha, we aim to encourage and support women to step up and enlighten the world through their diverse perspectives, understanding and solutions to solve grand challenges.”