T.N. government’s scholarship scheme helps transwoman realise her dream of studying abroad

A long-held aspiration to study abroad is becoming a reality for a 36-year-old transwoman techie, who is set to join a leading university in England for her master’s degree, thanks to the Tamil Nadu government’s Annal Ambedkar Overseas Scholarship for Higher Education for candidates from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

S. Daksha Pradhayeni, a native of Cuddalore, who had been working for nearly a decade in a private information technology firm in Chennai, rising to entry-level managerial roles, will join the University of Salford in England in June 2026 to pursue a Master of Science in Project Management.

“It had been my dream to pursue a master’s degree abroad. As a transwoman, I had overcome several challenges and scaled up to the position of Associate Project Manager in an IT firm. To reach senior-level managerial positions, I knew I had to upskill myself, so I had been trying for the past few years to get into any of the universities in Germany or the United States,” Ms. Pradhayeni told The Hindu.

She said the project management programmes she preferred were offered only as two-year courses in Germany and the U.S., while universities in the United Kingdom offered the same programme as a one-year course, which prompted her to apply there. She eventually received an offer from the University of Salford.

“When I realised that my savings and provident fund could cover only part of the expenses, I sought guidance from Bharatanatyam artiste Narthaki Nataraj, who put me in touch with officials from the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department,” she said.

Although she had crossed the prescribed age limit, the State government created a special category and granted her an exemption, making her the first transperson from the SC/ST communities to receive a scholarship under this scheme.

213 beneficiaries this year

Ms. Pradhayeni is among 213 candidates who benefitted from the scholarship scheme in 2025-26. So far, 172 candidates, including 58 women, have joined private universities abroad. This includes 137 candidates from the Scheduled Castes, 12 from the Scheduled Caste (Arunthathiyar), 18 from the Scheduled Caste (Christians), and five from the Scheduled Tribes. The scheme offers financial support of up to ₹36 lakh a year for candidates, with a cap on annual family income of ₹12 lakh.

G. Laxmi Priya, Secretary, Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, said nearly 100 candidates secured seats in universities ranked within the top 500 by QS. While 141 students received admissions in universities in the U.K., others joined institutions in Ireland, New Zealand, the U.S., Australia, the Netherlands, and Canada.

The budgetary allocation for the scheme had risen sharply from ₹5.31 crore in 2021-22 to ₹65 crore in 2025-26. As a result, the number of beneficiaries increased from nine in 2021-22 to 213 in 2025-26, she added.