Telangana’s animal rights activist Zabi Khan is a young changemaker who has the vision to aid other young changemakers. And with that in mind, he has come up with an innovative scholarship opportunity for students, in collaboration with KG Reddy College of Engineering and Technology, his alma mater. Students willing to create a change around them will be offered a free Engineering seat in the college and their academic tuition fees would be waived off.
The scholarship titled Changemakers Scholarship is open to all students across India. There is no entrance exam for availing this opportunity. Candidates would be selected based on how big a change they are willing to make and how many lives they are focussed on impacting.
“Interested students have to fill the Google Form which is available on the college website. Based on their answers, they would be selected and interviewed and after that, there will be further shortlisting,” says Zabi Khan. “We want to transform students into changemakers” The application process for the scholarship is in sync with KG Reddy College’s application process for admission.
The application process has already started. Students who apply for admission in the upcoming semester can apply for this scholarship. “The last date is tentative.
It has not been decided yet. We are waiting for the government’s schedule on admissions and the deadline will be fixed accordingly. Most probably it will fall at the end of August,” said Dr Rohit Kandakatla, Director of KG Reddy College.
“Last year, we became autonomous, and then we decided to change our identity to be a centre for innovation and transformation. We want to transform students into changemakers. We also want to attract students who are already changemakers into our institution.
We want them to share their stories, influence others and create an impact,” Dr Rohit explained when asked about the college’s motto behind this scholarship. The college is funding the scholarship completely. He informed that although there is no academic criterion required to avail the scholarship, the students must satisfy all the criteria prescribed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) to opt for admission to the college, and hence, opt for the scholarship.
Dr Rohit also informed that the KG Reddy College runs other entrepreneurial programmes as well. “We are in touch with the nearby villages and we have programmes through which students provide Engineering solutions to these villages. Through this scholarship we want more students to be a part of these programmes and serve as local champions, so as to enhance their leadership skills and bring themselves to impacting lives,” he said.
Together with his college “Being an alumnus of the college, I had already laid a foundation there. In the first year, when I wanted to open a shelter for animals, I directly went to the Chairman. He had the means and was powerful enough to bring about a change.
He agreed to help, sanctioned a plot of land inside the college for me to open an animal shelter,” Zabi says. The animal shelter is still running on the college campus. “It is being taken care of by the students.
The college has been very much willing to support my ventures,” the activist adds. Zabi is also running a pilot project in the college, which is meant for the existing students. It has been made mandatory for all first-year students in the college to volunteer for a cause.
“If someone wants to work for Swachh Bharat, he/she will have to pick up litter from the streets,” Zabi gives an example, adding, “The idea is to create a change. When a student works to pick up litter, he/she will think ten times before littering the streets. ” Speaking about his intention behind intiating the scholarship, Zabi says, “When I started as a changemaker 10 years ago, people did not take me seriously.
I did not receive much support from anyone, and this was one of the biggest hurdles I faced. And I don’t want other young changemakers to face this problem, so I want to encourage and support them. I do not want other passionate people to suffer.
” “Our education system has failed us enough. But it now supports change-making. And we must nurture not only great minds, but also great hearts.
I believe it is time to take up serious and real issues,” he adds. Zabi has rescued more than 3,000 animals with his ventures. He had also started a sanctuary for injured animals in Hyderabad.
Additionally, he runs many awareness programmes for students as well as citizens. “It is important to make people understand that lives can co-exist beautifully. Till my very last breath, I will keep working for animal rights.
We are now targetting the root causes,” he said. He also informed that his team is in the process of developing an app to trace the owners of abandoned dogs. With regard to the Changemakers Scholarship, Zabi claims that it is the first time that any such scholarship is being offered in India.
“At present, we will see how it works out and then we will think about scaling this initiative,” Dr Rohit said. For more information on this scholarship, interested candidates can follow this link https://kgr. ac.
in/scholarships/#Changemakers-Scholarships.
From: edexlive
URL: https://www.edexlive.com/news/2022/aug/11/time-to-nuture-great-minds-with-great-hearts-animal-activist-zabi-khan-hyderabads-kg-reddy-college-30463.html
