VIT distributed scholarships of ₹ 103 cr. for government school students since 2008: VIT Chancellor

Dignitaries celebrating the STARS program at the VIT Vellore campus. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) has distributed ₹103 crore scholarships to government school students under its flagship program Support The Advancement of Rural Students (STARS) since its inception in 2008, said G. Viswanathan, founder and chancellor of VIT.

In his presidential address at the STARS Day celebration organized by VIT at its campus here, Mr. Viswanathan said the scheme was aimed at supporting high achieving students from rural government schools who have excellent marks in higher secondary examinations but lack funds for further education. “So far 1,200 students have benefited from this scheme. VIT has borne the entire cost of their education, accommodation and food to the tune of ₹103 crore,” he said.

The chancellor emphasized the transformative power of education in addressing inequality. “Governments should provide free education – that alone is enough. Students will make the most of it. Providing free education will end the need to give free to fulfill people’s desires because it will help them earn a decent living,” he said.

The educator said Nordic countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland have made remarkable progress through strong education systems and robust welfare models. According to him, a democratic country like India could learn from their development strategies which could help the overall growth of the country.

District Collector PS Leela Alex, HCL, Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan, Vice Presidents and Prince Jayakumar, Head (Human Resources), VIT were present on the occasion.

Published – 18 Jul 2026 23:57 IST