Scotland’s prestigious University of Dundee, which is ranked among the UK’s top 30 Universities (as per the Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 and The Guardian University Guide 2019), has launched “The Jainti Dass Saggar Memorial Scholarship for Excellence” in the memory of one of Scotland’s earliest Indian students who went on to help transform the lives of people living in Dundee. This new scholarship will be awarded to an Indian domiciled student who wishes to pursue an undergraduate degree in any subject at the University of Dundee in the sessions starting in 2020. The winner of the scholarship will receive an extra £5,000 on top of the standard Global Excellence Scholarship (£5,000) that is awarded to excellent applicants. As a result, the student will receive a sum of £10,000 in scholarship.
Born in Deharru, Punjab in 1898, Jainti Dass Saggar undertook a 26-day sea journey to study Medicine at University College Dundee (forerunner of the University of Dundee), arriving in the city in 1919, one hundred years ago. Graduating in 1923, Dr Saggar became a local GP. In 1931, he married a Scottish woman Jean Quinn, and they had two daughters, Sheila and Kamala. Dr Saggar served on the boards of various education and welfare bodies and was elected town councilor in 1936, serving Dundee as a Labour councilor for eighteen years until his death in 1954. Despite living in Scotland, Dr Saggar remained connected with his Indian roots through his involvement over many years with Friends of India and with Indian Famine Relief.
Wendy Alexander, Vice Principal (International) at the University, said, “Dr Saggar was a truly inspirational character who worked to improve the quality of school meals well ahead of his time. He also helped open a psychiatric clinic for early mental health treatment and argued for the provision of 20 communal canteens for Dundee’s poor. He was a true example of a global citizen, who chose to study, live and improve the city he came to. With this new scholarship, we hope his story inspires the next generation of Dundee students.”
The scholarship is available for 24 subjects, including Anatomy / Forensic Anthropology / Forensic and Medical Art, Architecture and Urban Planning, Art and Design, Biological/Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Business (Accountancy / Economics / Finance / International Business), Civil Engineering, Computing, Dentistry, Education, Electronic Engineering, Energy Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, Geography / Environmental Science, History, Law, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Philosophy, Physics, Politics and International Relations, Psychology and Social Work.
In order to be eligible for the scholarship, the applicants must be Indian-domiciled and studying an undergraduate programme in any of the University of Dundee’s Academic Schools in September 2020. Moreover, the applicants must meet the Global Excellence Scholarship Undergraduate criteria and have a confirmed Global Excellence award from the University of Dundee.
Since there is no separate application form for this scholarship, the University’s Admissions Team will review applicants who have a confirmed Global Excellence Undergraduate award. The team will review the personal statements submitted by the applicants as part of their course. Decisions on the recipient of the Jainti Dass Saggar Scholarship will be made on applications received before 30th April 2020 and the successful applicant will be notified by the end of May 2020.
