Scholarships

Kenya: KETRACO scholarships to bridge engineering skills among vulnerable girls

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Africa/Kenya/05/07/2020/Author: Claire Wanja/Source: www.kbc.co.ke

The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited, KETRACO has partnered with Kenyatta University to offer scholarships to girls from vulnerable families across the country.

The partnership will see KETRACO pump resources into the program dubbed KETRACO Scholarship for Orphans and Vulnerable Students (KSOVS).

Over the next five years vulnerable female students in KU’s Electrical or Civil Engineering faculty are set to be beneficiaries of the initiative.

Speaking during the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony, KETRACO’s Managing Director FCPA Fernandes Barasa hailed the initiative as attempting to bridge the engineering skills gap in the country – which is one of the initiatives the transmission company has engaged in with institutions of higher education so as to fulfill its vision.

“The overall objective of the MoU signing is to jointly develop mutual collaboration in various areas including areas of research that touches on electricity transmission, support equity, access and excellence in higher education especially among vulnerable girls,” Barasa said.

“This will form a link that will see the development of new products and technology in electricity transmission through scholarships, research funding and knowledge management consultancy,” KETRACO said.

“This partnership will facilitate mutual collaboration between KETRACO and KU that will enable us to explore emerging trends in electricity transmission and research,” he KU Vice-Chancellor Prof Paul Wainaina.

The partnership will give an opportunity to young girls from vulnerable families to pursue their dreams.

Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/ketraco-scholarships-to-bridge-engineering-skills-among-vulnerable-girls/

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Kenya: West Pokot County Govt launch Ksh 400 Million bursary fund.

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Africa/Kenya/16-02-2020/Author(a): West Pokot/Source: www.kbc.co.ke

West Pokot County Government has launched a four hundred million shilling bursary kitty for needy students.

The bursary is set to benefit students from secondary, colleges and universities.

Speaking when he launched the disbursement exercise of the bursary at Ortum Boys high school, West Pokot Governor Prof John Lonyangapuo said that school enrollment in the County had increased sharply.

He stated that school retention and transition rates had also improved significantly.

Ortum Boys Secondary School which has the highest number of students from West Pokot received a total of Ksh 13 million.

“We have a vision on education, economy and equity to shun vices. Education is not devolved but we have invested heavily in education. There is no cattle rustling in the North Rift region and we are giving out bursaries without discrimination or based on political parties or tribe,” he said.

The County boss pointed out that students from households affected by recent landslides will be considered for an additional amount.

He also noted that his administration had put emphasis on matters concerning education to help reduce illiteracy levels and empower the people of West Pokot.

Governor Lonyangapuo also called on the Teachers ServiceCcommission (TSC) CEO Nancy Macharia to post more teachers saying the region is understaffed.

He said that the County will start a scholarship program which will enhance specialist’s technical courses for self-sufficiency in terms of expertise.

Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/west-pokot-county-govt-launch-ksh-400-million-bursary-fund/

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18,000 needy students to benefit from government scholarship

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Africa/Kenya/15-12-2019/Author(a): Christine Muchira/Source: www.kbc.co.ke

By: Christine Muchira

Education Cabinet Secretary, Prof George Magoha, says 9,000 Form One Students to benefit from Elimu Scholarship Programme in 2020.

The Ministry of Education has opened applications for the inaugural 2020 Elimu Scholarship Programme targeting 9,000 beneficiaries.

Eligible 2019 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) Examination candidates have until December 16, 2019 to apply for the scholarships that are funded by the Ministry of Education with support from the World Bank. They will be implemented through the Equity Group Foundation.

The Elimu Scholarship Programme, funded through the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQIP), will benefit candidates from 110 targeted Sub-Counties and fifteen urban centres with informal settlements.

Announcing the start of the Elimu Scholarship, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha said the programme will boost the Government’s 100 per cent transition policy that was introduced last year.

“We are determined to utilize the Sh3 billion scholarship programme to further ensure that all the needy and vulnerable 2019 KCPE candidates are supported to gain admission to schools of their choice,” Prof Magoha said.

Equity Group Foundation Executive Chairman Dr. James Mwangi said the Foundation will ensure the selection is thorough and based on merit.

“Equity will deploy its massive infrastructure and its technical capacity to successfully implement the Elimu scholarship programme on behalf of the Ministry of Education in the selection of 18,000 needy beneficiaries of the Elimu Scholarship Programme over the next two years,” he said.

This year, Dr.  Mwangi said 9,000 Elimu Scholarship Programme beneficiaries will be selected while 1,125 beneficiaries will be picked under the Wings to Fly Programme, bringing the total number of scholarships to 10,125 this year.

“We welcome the Elimu Scholarship Programme as it widens the opportunities for more children to access secondary school education and increase their opportunities of a better future for themselves, their families and communities. We have seen the tremendous transformational opportunities that the Wings to Fly program has had on the beneficiaries with majority transitioning to universities locally and across the world including Ivy League schools.”

Under the programme, poor and vulnerable children from financially constrained backgrounds and who attained 280 marks and above in 2019 KCPE, will be considered. For affirmative action, candidates who are Orphans and/or from Vulnerable Communities and those with special needs and disabilities who attained below 280 marks may be considered.

Only candidates who sat for KCPE examinations in 2019 from public primary schools in the targeted areas will be eligible to apply for the inaugural cohort of 9,000 scholarships tenable in 2020.

The 110 targeted Sub-Counties are as per the National Government Administrative areas that existed in the year 2015. The list of the targeted Sub-counties and the fifteen urban centres with informal settlements can be accessed through the Ministry of Education and Equity Group Foundation websites; www.education.go.ke and https://egfdmis.equitybank.co.ke/register_elimu

Applicants of the Elimu Scholarship Programme must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  1. Candidates with special needs and disabilities (Physical, Hearing and Visual Impairments, Autism, Albinism, Learning Disabilities and Others); or

Orphans and vulnerable children; or

Candidates from vulnerable communities in the target Sub-Counties; or

Candidates from urban centres with informal settlements; or

Candidates:

  1. whose parents/guardians are living with disabilities that have compromised their ability to meet the financial obligations of their children
  2. whose families are affected by HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses with debilitating effects that could render parents and guardians destitute and unable to fend for their families
  3. whose families are affected by extreme poverty rendering them unable to educate their children
  4. Who have suffered from neglect, abuse and have no support to continue with their education.

Interested applicants are advised to collect the scholarship application forms from the nearest Equity Bank Branch or Equity Bank Agent. Application forms can also be downloaded from the Ministry of Education and Equity Group Foundation websites; www.education.go.ke and https://egfdmis.equitybank.co.ke/register_elimu

Duly completed application forms and supporting documents should be submitted to the nearest Equity Bank Branch by 16th December 2019. Shortlisted candidates accompanied by parents/guardians will be invited for interviews which will be conducted by the Community Scholarship Advisory Committees.

The scholarship caters for School fees, transport to and from school, learning materials and School kit for the beneficiaries for the four-year education period. Please note that ONLY the candidates who meet the requirements will be considered for the scholarship. Members of the public are urged to share this information widely.

Any grievances regarding the scholarship programme are to be addressed to: elimu@equitygroupfoundation.com  or elimu@education.go.ke

While the Wings to Fly programme is targeting students who scored at least 350 marks in the 2019 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), the Elimu Scholarship Programme cut off mark is 280 marks except in regions with vulnerable and marginalised communities and for children with disabilities where the cut off can be lowered.

The applications will be reviewed, and only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews by the respective scholarship selection boards. The number of boards has been increased to 207 from 119 to adequately cater for the increased numbers.

The boards comprise of at least 13 local community stakeholders including local administrative leaders, education officials, Equity Agent representatives, Vulnerable and marginalized communities representatives, religious and community leaders in the County.

Each board is chaired by the Deputy County Commissioner or the Sub-County Education Officer and coordinated by the respective Equity Bank Branch Managers.

Speaking on the application process, Dr. Mwangi urged administrative leaders and community leaders to use their offices to create awareness on the scholarships to ensure all eligible needy children take advantage of the opportunity. “I appeal to religious leaders to use church and mosque services to make announcements on the ongoing application process. Let all Kenyans of goodwill show their care by reaching out to potential candidates who can benefit from these scholarships,” he added.

The Wings to Fly programme which is now in its 11thyear supports bright but economically challenged pupils, who would otherwise not be able to join secondary school due to financial constraints. This is through funding from Equity Group, MasterCard Foundation and German Government through KfW.

The scholarship caters for tuition and boarding fees, books, uniform, and transport to and from school as well as pocket money for the four years of secondary school. To date, 16,168 scholars have benefitted from this programme.

Last year, the Equity Group Foundation received more than 26,000 applications from needy students who sat for their 2018 KCPE examinations and were unable to finance their secondary school educatio.

Source: https://www.kbc.co.ke/18000-needy-students-government-scholarship/

Image:  Rolf Dobberstein en Pixabay 

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Education as an instrument for China’s soft power

Alfred Marleku

By: Alfred Marleku.

 

China is lavishing scholarships on foreign students and opening up institutions around the world as it looks to exert influence and serve the national interest in a different way.

Alongside its rapid economic development and increasing political impact in the world, China is making significant progress in building up soft power capacities by using education as the key instrument to boost its influence abroad.

The concept of soft power in the field of international relations started to be used by the well-known scholar Joseph Nye. He argues that soft power involves culture, values, and ways to disperse impact and build an image. All this, according to him, aims to facilitate state cooperation, administration and a race to distribute influence, values and ideology to other states.

In recent years, China has significantly increased its influence abroad by using education as a source and instrument of soft power. This has been done by using two main approaches.

Firstly, by establishing Chinese educational institutions in different countries of the world. Second, by offering attractive programmes and support through scholarships for students from around the world to study at Chinese universities.

For this reason, in 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued a formal document stating that the purpose of their education reform initiative at international level is to make it possible for Chinese soft power to serve the national interest.

One of the main Chinese educational instruments, which is estimated to have an annual value of around $10 billion, is the establishment and operation of the Confucius Institutes, which operate in around 120 countries around the world through about 500 centres.

These institutes are established by the state and their main purpose is to familiarise foreigners with the Chinese ideological approach and its culture by offering them various services such as Mandarin language courses or training in cooking Chinese food, calligraphy etc.

However, the impact for China’s soft power has not remained only at the institutional or individual student level, but has also extended to influential politicians. In 2013, after a visit to China, former British prime minister, David Cameron stated that Britain should look beyond traditional principles where students are offered only German and French as a foreign languages and should focus on learning Mandarin.

It does not seem casual that, a few years later, Cameron was engaged to lead an investment fund in UK, worth about $1 billion, which aimed at backing China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

On the other hand, China has invested steadily in increasing its universities’ capacities in order to compete globally with world-class institutions through two initiatives, known as Project 211 and Project 985. These educational platforms aim to create opportunities for foreign students to study Chinese language and culture and, at the same time, encourage Chinese students to study abroad.

It is estimated that nearly half a million foreign students are studying in China. According to official statistics, in 2017, these students attended 935 higher education institutions. As far as the Asian continent is concerned, China is considered to be the most popular and attractive destination for international students. Most of them come from South Korea, Thailand, Pakistan, the US, Russia, and Japan.

To attract as many foreign students as possible, the Chinese government allocates more than 10,000 scholarships to students from countries interested in pursuing studies in China through the Silk Road Scholarship programme. The largest number of these scholarships are dedicated to countries impacted by the Belt Road, making up about 65 percent. But Europe is not left behind in this regard. The Chinese government has recently launched the Chinese Ambassador Scholarship programme dedicated to students from Romania.

In fact, it is considered normal practice and is very common for powerful states, as part of their strategy to extend their impact in the international arena, to apply soft power by launching various scholarship programmes. Around a century ago, the United Kingdom implemented the Rhodes Scholarship programme, which aimed at promoting British imperialist values in the world.

On the other hand, in 1946, the United States launched the Fulbright Programwhich aims to disseminate American values abroad. Whereas, the former Soviet Union in 1961 created Patrice Lumumba University in order to teach the principles of socialism to students coming from the so-called third world countries.

Similarly, China uses higher education to increase its impact of soft power in the world, especially in countries stretching along the One Belt One Road initiative.

Education for some countries is considered an industry, while for others it is seen more as a political tool. While in developed countries such as the UK, US or Australia, foreign students are welcomed because universities, by offering them study opportunities, charge them with tuition fees that usually are much higher than payments of domestic students, in China foreign students enjoy generous financial support through scholarships and advanced study conditions. For this reason, in 2018, the Chinese Foreign Ministry increased the budget by 16 percent compared to 2017.

This is a well-planned strategic move. As the British weekly The Economistpoints out, rich countries sell their education and China is using it to buy influence.

 

Source of the article: https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/education-as-an-instrument-for-china-s-soft-power-25699

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DECC UK Department of Energy and Climate Change : UK-India partnership through education, skills and entrepreneurship

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UK-India/August 29, 2017/Source: http://www.4-traders.com

Delighted to be here and interact with this next gen group from different educational streams.

The UK and India have a long relationship and we are looking towards partnering India in the future particularly in education, skills and entrepreneurship. I am glad to know that a significant number of students from the Heritage school and colleges go to the UK for higher studies and work.

The UK welcomes the brightest and best international students to our world-class universities.

A British education is a quality-mark and a passport to global success. The UK is home to some of the oldest and most respected universities in the world, and some of the very best. The UK hosts four of the world’s top 10 universities (Cambridge, UCL, Imperial College London and Oxford) and is home to 30 of the world’s top 200 universities.

Oxford has been ranked the best university in the world by Times Higher Education World University rankings. Oxford knocked five time champion California Institute of Technology into second place as Cambridge and Imperial College joined the top 10.

A British education offers excellent value for money. British degree courses are more intense than in many other countries, with students receiving top quality education in a shorter period, costing less overall than other destinations like Australia, the US and Singapore.

Studying in the UK is a truly international experience. We attract more overseas students than any other country except the US. The UK is a diverse, multicultural society, home to an Indian diaspora of 1.5 million.

And it is not that students always pay for the courses themselves. The UK in India hosts the largest Chevening Scholarships and Fellowships country programme in the world, with a £2.6 million budget to fund about 130 fully funded scholarships and fellowships for future Indian leaders. Besides scholarships for Masters’ programmes, short term fellowships are offered in financial services, journalism, cyber security, science & innovation and leadership & management.

The British Council will be familiar to all of you. I believe the Heritage School has a very effective ongoing partnership with the British Council. The council offers the GREAT scholarships for a range of subjects ranging from engineering and law to art and design and information technology across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Commonwealth Scholarships for students from developing Commonwealth countries are offered Master’s, PhD, and split-site (PhD) study in the UK. These scholarships are funded by the UK’s Department for International Development. On average 60 Indian students are supported by the Commonwealth programme each year.

I know some of you feel that it is difficult to get a UK visa. The student visa process is straightforward for genuine students. In 2016, 95% of student entry clearance visa applications were approved, a number that has risen every year since 2010, and the issue rate in India is 91%.

A recent research done by the British Council revealed that one in 10 current world leaders have studied in the UK. Notable alumni from UK universities include the former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president.

Around 38% of Nobel Laureates who have studied at universities abroad, studied in the UK – more than any other country.

Earlier this year the first Newton Prize Competition was held in India with a prize of £1 million. The competition focused on public health and wellbeing, including issues such as anti-microbial resistance, disease, healthcare, and nutrition.

The UK Science Ministry also announced a series of research programmes from the Newton Fund worth up to £80 million to address global challenges affecting people in India. The investments were announced on the sidelines of the India-UK TECH Summit in New Delhi – India’s premier science and technology showcase.

The new programmes take the total joint UK-India investment in research through the Newton Fund up to £200 million by 2021, demonstrating the fund as a major bilateral initiative in India. It brings together the world class excellence of the UK and India to address global challenges through science and technology.

India is currently the world’s ninth largest economy, and is predicted to become the third largest by 2050. It is currently the world’s fastest growing economy. However, it is also home to a third of the world’s poor, ranks 142nd on the World Bank’s ease of doing business index and 94th on transparency international’s corruption index. Additionally it is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases despite 300 million people lacking access to energy.

India’s economic success and development are vital to the global economy, to UK interests across South Asia and to global priorities like the sustainable development goals.

In this context, the target action areas include improvements in the business environment, skill development, employment generation, energy security and developing smarter cities as engines of growth.

The TECH Rocketship Awards from our Department for International Trade supports globally aspirational start-ups across sectors with a technology backbone. The focus over the last few years has been on innovations that impact energy, education, health and finance sectors.

The exchange of ideas and skills is a two way process. The Generation UK-India Programme supports young people from the UK gain skills and experience in India over the next five years. For example – in partnership with TCS for 1,000 internships for UK students. Generation UK-India will work with Indian institutions to create opportunities for young people in the UK to undertake cultural immersions placements, teaching partnerships and work placements.

The UK India Education and Research Initiative in its first two phases has supported over 1000 new education and research partnerships that aim to deliver long term prosperity benefits for both the UK and India. The programme has also facilitated 25,000 exchanges of academicians, researchers, staff and students, creating lifelong links between the UK and India and over 35 million young people have benefitted through train the trainer programmes.

I see education, skills and entrepreneurship as the backbone of the UK-India future partnership and hope the next gen in both countries will take advantage of the opportunities available to become Living Bridges connecting the people of both nations across political, economic and social platforms.

Source:

http://www.4-traders.com/news/DECC-UK-Department-of-Energy-and-Climate-Change-UK-India-partnership-through-education-skills-and–25017970/

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