Pune: In a remarkable achievement, Sujal Prakash Gedam, a student from a tribal family in Maharashtra, has secured admission to the MSc Economics program at University of Liverpool, England—a prestigious institution listed in the global QS rankings. This milestone was announced by Sonul Kotwal, Assistant Project Officer, Integrated Tribal Development Project, Pune.
Sujal hails from Kalmgaon Tukum, a small tribal village in the Tadoba Tiger Reserve, Chandrapur District. Despite limited resources, he pursued his undergraduate studies in Arts at Sir Parashurambhau College, Pune. His academic journey was shaped by the ‘Career New Paths’ initiative conducted at his tribal hostel in Koregaon Park, Pune, which guided him towards higher education aspirations.
Determined to pursue advanced studies, Sujal appeared for CUET and APU-NET entrance exams, aiming for admission into India’s top institutions. He successfully secured admission to Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, for an MA in Development Studies, where he was also awarded a scholarship.
During an awareness program at his hostel, Sujal learned about scholarships and admission opportunities for tribal students to study abroad. Encouraged by this, he applied to Liverpool University, Manchester University, and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. After a rigorous selection process, he was accepted into Liverpool University for the MSc Economics program.
Sujal credited his success to his father, Prakash Gedam, who made great efforts to support his education. He also expressed gratitude to Santosh Nandurkar, Dr. Archana Nandurkar, and hostel warden Uday Mahajan for their guidance and encouragement.
Sujal’s achievement has been widely recognized, with Tribal Development Commissioner Leena Bansod from Nashik and Project Officer Pradeep Desai from the Integrated Tribal Development Project Office, Ghodegaon, extending their congratulations and best wishes for his academic journey.