Kolkata: The United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI), offering Fulbright scholarships for study and research in the US, would launch for the first time a teacher exchange programme between India and the US in May 2004.

Announcing this today (Apr 23, 2004), USEFI Executive Director Jane E Schukoske said the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program would enable Indian secondary school teachers (IX-XII standards) to participate in direct exchanges of positions with US teachers for the semester beginning August/September, 2005.

"Indian teachers of English, Maths and Science, selected for the exchange, will have opportunity to work in US school system and experience US society and culture," she said.

The programme would have duration of five week.

Speaking on the occasion of announcing the Fulbright fellowships for 2005-6, Schukoske said about 65 scholars would be selected from India for research in various disciplines, including the arts, conflict resolution, humanities and social sciences, information science and technology, law, management and public administration.

The USEFI, she said, had a total budget of about $ 2.3 million, including a funding of $ 1.35 mn from the US Congress, for Indian fellowships.

"We have been talking to the Indian Government as also the University Grant Commission for raising additional funds for the purpose," she said.

A total number of 246 Indian scholars had been to the US as against 312 US scholars coming to India under the Fulbright programme during the last five years.