Students studying in the UK on Commonwealth scholarships are “exemplars of Commonwealth connection”, said Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on Friday.
Students studying in the UK on Commonwealth scholarships are “exemplars of Commonwealth connection”, said Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on Friday.
Addressing more than 400 post-graduates sponsored by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) at a welcome event in London, the Secretary-General celebrated the “truly marvellous array of talent” in the hall.
But she also emphasised that “being a Commonwealth Scholar brings particular responsibility to think and act with and for others to remake our world.”
The Secretary-General therefore urged the students to seize the opportunity plug into Commonwealth networks and to use them to take on today’s pressing challenges, such as climate change, human rights and violence against women and girls:
“This is how Commonwealth advantages multiply, connections strengthen, and opportunities increase…it is how we build a safer and better future for our world”.
CSC is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and aims to provide a world-class scholarship scheme for candidates from low and middle income Commonwealth countries. It is part of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, which was established at the first Commonwealth Education Conference in 1959 to promote the sharing of educational experience between member countries.
Today CSC awards more than 800 scholarships per year, rewarding merit and delivering widespread access to higher education. It encourages cutting-edge research, innovation, and knowledge exchange across the Commonwealth. On completing their studies, the scholars at Friday’s event will join a network of over 11,000 alumni who are using the skills they gained to make an impact in their home countries.
As the Secretary-General put it, “Because of the opportunities your Commonwealth Scholarships offer, you will walk the Commonwealth walk even more proudly and productively wherever you go from here.”
You can read more about the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK’s programme here: http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk.
