Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant initiative to empower academically meritorious students pursuing German language proficiency, Allianz Group, one of the world’s leading insurers and asset managers, has announced 100 scholarships annually for students of the Goethe-Zentrum in Trivandrum.
The scholarship programme was officially launched today at a function held at the Goethe-Zentrum, where eight selected students were presented with scholarships by Barbara Karuth-Zelle, COO, Allianz SE, along with Turan Sahin, CEO, Allianz Services. Also present at the event were Jison John, MD & CEO, Allianz Services India; Praveen Sasidharan, Chief Insurance Services Officer, Allianz Services; Jayant Tulsiani, Branch Head, Allianz Technology; Dr Syed Ibrahim, Director of Goethe-Zentrum Trivandrum & Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany for Kerala, and G Vijaya Raghavan, Chairman of Goethe-Zentrum.
The first batch of scholarship recipients includes Archana Bindhu Sajikumar, Cristeena Thoppil Shibu, Hanna Sunny, Jeevan Binoy, Jilu Mathew, Juliet Mini Suju, Nissi John, and Reshma Gracious Jayanthi.
In his address, Dr Syed highlighted the longstanding association between Goethe-Zentrum and Allianz Group, which began in 2020. He added that Allianz Services and Allianz Technology are proud principal sponsors of the Goethe Zentrum facility in Trivandrum, ‘Allianz Haus’. “To take this association further, we have instituted this scholarship programme to encourage more students to learn the German language and excel in their pursuit of higher education and careers in Germany”.
Barbara Karuth-Zelle remarked, “At a time when the world is becoming increasingly divided, language serves as a foundation to build trust, togetherness, and understanding. Learning a new language acts as a bridge between cultures and people. Allianz Group is grateful for the opportunity to support these scholarships, which we hope will further strengthen cultural exchange between India and Germany.”
Turan added, “This scholarship programme with Goethe-Zentrum is a testament to our shared vision of strengthening Indo-German cultural ties and nurturing Kerala’s young talent through education, empowerment, and inclusion.”
Vijaya Raghavan emphasised that the programme would help students explore broader career opportunities.