3 min readNew DelhiMar 16, 2021 08:11 AM IST
First published on: Mar 14, 2021 at 07:22 PM IST
Having left the European Union’s flagship Erasmus scholarship programme after Brexit, the UK on Friday launched its own replacement called the Turing scheme to enable UK students to study abroad.
Named after the celebrated English mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing, the scheme will enable schools, colleges and universities in the UK to apply for government funding to allow students to study and work across the globe, including in India.
Newsletter | Click to get the day’s best explainers in your inbox
Turing Award: Top prize in computing, named after codebreaker
What is the UK’s Turing Scheme for students?
The scheme, for which the British government has allocated 110 million pounds for the first year, starts in 2021/22, and would enable up to 35,000 students from across the country to study or work across the world from September this year.
Under the programme, after schools and universities successfully apply for funding for exchanges, university study and work placements, they can invite their students to apply for individual fundings, as per the BBC.
In what is described as a major post-Brexit move, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the scheme would be a global programme in which every country in the world will be able to partner with UK institutions. This is in contrast with the Erasmus+ programme, which only included European countries.
The British government has said that the scheme is aimed towards ensuring social mobility, and targets students from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas from where not many could benefit under the previous Erasmus+ scheme.
Explained: How Britain’s departure from Erasmus scholarship programme will impact students
Beneficiaries of the scheme from disadvantaged backgrounds can receive up to 490 pounds per month towards living costs, as well as travel funding and money to offset the cost of passports, visas and insurance.
How will the scheme impact India?
The UK’s Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that India, already a top source of international students to the UK, could be among the leading list of countries with which UK universities seek to strike student exchange projects, a PTI report said.
As per the report, the scheme is part of the UK’s drive to increase the amount generated from education exports, including fees and income from overseas students and English language teaching abroad. The government aims to generate 35 billion pounds per year, and bring 6 lakh international students to the country by 2030.
The UK's Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that India, already a top source of international students to the UK, could be among the leading list of countries with which UK universities seek to strike student exchange projects, a PTI report said. (Representational/File) 
Share
