£1.4 million pledge to Commonwealth Scholarship Fund

A new era for Commonwealth scholarships was announced by Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma today (16 June 2009), with initial pledges of £1.4 million from donors.

The Anniversary Endowment Fund builds on the success of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP), established by Commonwealth education ministers at their first meeting, in Oxford in 1959.

It recognises half a century of CSFP grants which have benefited some 27,000 students from every Commonwealth country. The pledges to date include major contributions from the Governments of Kenya, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.

The Anniversary Endowment Fund was announced during the opening ceremony of the 17th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers, which began in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, today.

The Secretary-General told education ministers and delegates: “Looking back, it is hard to overstate the degree of foresight that ministers showed in establishing the plan.

“Some 27,000 individuals, drawn from all Commonwealth countries, have benefited from what has become one of the most enduring and successful forms of Commonwealth collaboration.”

The idea of establishing a permanent legacy of the CSFP’s creation was agreed when Commonwealth education ministers last met in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2006.

The new fund aims to increase the range of countries in which Commonwealth scholarships are available, by helping to support Commonwealth scholarships in low and middle income countries. It will establish a new form of South-South collaboration, open up unique new opportunities for students from developed countries to experience the rapidly expanding higher education opportunities in the South, and meet the aspirations of the founders that the CSFP should be genuinely Commonwealth-wide.

A report to be considered later this week by ministers will show that CSFP scholarship recipients have an exceptional record of impact on their home countries. Some 88 per cent have returned home and are still working in their home country. Many have also reached positions of leadership, including more than 50 cabinet ministers, over 50 permanent secretaries, ambassadors and supreme and high court judges, and almost 80 university vice-chancellors. The Plan is already recognised as one of the most prestigious schemes for international study and professional development in the world.

The new fund will be administered by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, which will be seeking further donations from governments, alumni and other potential supporters in the coming months.

Secretariat Links:

• Education

Related Websites:

• Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan
• Association of Commonwealth Universities