NTSE Scholarship to Return with Expanded Benefits, Says Education Ministry

The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), a scholarship program discontinued by the central government two years ago, is making a comeback with a new and improved format. The Union Ministry of Education is working on expanding the scheme to make it more inclusive and beneficial for students.

Aanandrao Patil, Additional Secretary of the Union Education Ministry, confirmed the news during a teachers’ workshop at YASHADA. He stated that detailed planning is underway to relaunch NTSE on a larger scale.

Previously, NTSE was conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and was India’s only scholarship program supporting students from school education up to Ph.D. However, it was suddenly discontinued two years ago, raising concerns in the education sector. Many experts stressed its importance in preparing students for competitive exams.

Apart from revamping NTSE, the government is also introducing the ‘DHRUV’ initiative to identify and nurture talented students.

Additionally, the ministry is working on implementing ‘Apar’ (Unique Student ID) numbers, which will store student data securely in DigiLocker. Patil assured that the system is highly secure, with ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics to ensure data protection.