Banaras Hindu University has approved the proposal to present awards to students with outstanding academic performance. Students from all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, both regular and special courses of study, across various departments of the university will be considered for these annual awards, aimed at honouring academic distinction across all disciplines. The Academic Council, chaired by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, approved the proposal to institute the ‘Academic Excellence Award for Students’ with support, as members termed the move historic and much-needed. The meeting, held on Saturday, was the first after Prof. Chaturvedi assumed the office of the Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University. As per the approved proposal, students securing at least 8.5 CGPA will be eligible for the awards, which will comprise a cash prize and a certificate of excellence. The cash prizes will be Rs 25,000, Rs 20,000, and Rs 15,000 for the top three students, respectively. UG or PG programmes with more than 100 students will be eligible for all three awards, while programmes with student strength between 50 and 100 will have two awards. There will be only one award for programmes with fewer than 50 students, stated the press release. Expressing gratitude to the Academic Council for approving the proposal, the Vice-Chancellor stated, “We at BHU must focus on, promote, and acknowledge merit, hard work, and excellence. We should be proactive and prompt in recognising those who make exceptional academic performance and bring laurels to the university. We want to inspire students to aim for academic excellence.” This award, he added, will instil a renewed sense of confidence and motivation among students across all departments to continue their pursuit of excellence and strive for success. The award will be instituted from the current academic session, i.e., 2025–26. It will encourage the students to work hard to improve their academic performance. With the focus on academic competition, more students from all over the country will be attracted to BHU, the Vice-Chancellor noted.
