Exclusive: How Prem Kumar, a Dalit student from Bihar, won a 2.5-crore scholarship

– Prem Kumar, a Dalit student from Bihar, has been awarded a scholarship of Rs.2.5 crores to study in America

–The Mooknayak talked to Prem about his education as well as his plans for the future

Patna— "Education is paramount, whether it is gained by paying for it or whether access has to be gained through a struggle. We will need to have an unwavering determination for this. Only then our future generations and society will be educated." This viewpoint was expressed by 17-year-old Prem Kumar in a conversation with The Mooknayak on Monday. A prestigious college in America has awarded a scholarship of Rs.2.5 crores to Prem for his studies. According to local media, Kishore comes from the Musahar community. His father lives in Gonapura village in the Phulwari Sharif area of Patna and works as a labourer to support his family.

Prem tells us, "I applied to 20 colleges in America and was selected two, but they didn't offer a full scholarship. However, Lafayette College awarded me a full scholarship and I will study engineering there. The entire cost of my education will be borne by the college."

Dexterity helped dream come true

Prem told us that he completed his primary as well as his high school education from the Shoshit Samadhan Kendra school. After this, he came in contact with the Dexterity Global organization. "I have been associated with this organization for almost two years. Under the organization's education programme, I received training in leadership, entrepreneurship as well as public speaking. During the training, I had a chance to speak on many national and international platforms," Prem further says. "While I was still studying in Class 12, Dexterity organization both encouraged and helped me to apply to American colleges for further studies."

People have been getting in touch- Prem

Prem then said that since I was awarded the scholarship and the media reported it, suddenly many more people have been contacting me. People in the community I come from are becoming more aware. They take my father's name and say that if his child can do it, then why cannot our child do it? Many parents are approaching me. They tell me that we also want to educate our children. Parliamentarians from our area, community leaders, and people from social organizations are coming to meet us.

Indebted to parents' hard work

In our community, Prem explained, parents undergo great hardships to educate their children. So children are indebted to their parents for their hard work and should study well in return. He said his father,Jitan Manjhi, works as a labourer. His mother passed away 10 years ago and he has five sisters. Prem passed his matriculation examination in 2020.

Lafayette College is among the top 25 colleges in America and was established in 1826. Prem is among the six students from across the world to have received the college's prestigious Dyer Fellowship. According to the college, this fellowship is awarded to selected students who have the commitment and intrinsic motivation to find solutions to the world's most difficult and toughest problems.

The Dexterity Global organization

The Dexterity Global organization has been working since 2013 for the educational upliftment of the children of the Mahadalit communities of Bihar. The aim of the organization is to develop leadership for future generations through students, and for this, young people are sent to study at the best universities. The founder and CEO of the organization are Sharad Sagar.

यहाँ हिन्दी में भी पढ़ें: 2.5 करोड़ पाने वाले बिहार के दलित छात्र प्रेम कुमार को कैसे मिली इतनी बड़ी छात्रवृति!

[Story Translated By Lotika Singha]