Commonwealth scholarship honours Queen Elizabeth
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II attends The Queen's Birthday Party concert on the occassion of Her Majesty's 92nd birthday at the Royal Albert Hall in London on April 21, 2018. Source: Andrew Parsons / AFP

 

A new scheme of scholarships will be available to students of the 53 Commonwealth member nations.

Named in honour of HM The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth these new scholarships will be known as the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships as of 2019, tying in with the 60th anniversary of the original Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP), which already offers awards to students from across the Commonwealth.

The program – run by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) – will provide an additional 150 scholarships to students from low and middle-income countries like Ghana, South Africa, and Sri Lanka by 2025.

CSFP scholarships are fully-funded to cover masters programmes, providing tuition fees, a return economy flight, an arrival allowance, and a living allowance.

HRH Prince Harry recently made the announcement during an address to the Commonwealth Youth Forum, stating that he was “proud that in recognition of Her Majesty the Queen’s extraordinary service to the Commonwealth, these scholarships will be known as The Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships.”

The change will be supported by an expansion of the CSFP endowment fund, which was established by Commonwealth governments including Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Kenya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and the UK.

The UK government has also pledged an additional £5 million ($7,157,990) to support the expansion.

“For young people across the Commonwealth, sharing in this partnership presents a unique opportunity to learn about other cultures,” said UK education secretary Damian Hinds in a statement.

“It also gives us the chance to share learning from our respective education systems and to draw inspiration from across the globe, so that every child gets the education they deserve.”

Commonwealth scholarships have produced more than 80,000 graduates since 1959. “This investment builds on this celebrated relationship by offering even more young people around the world the opportunity to further their education at a Commonwealth university abroad,” added Hinds.

Dr Joanna Newman, Chief Executive and Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, said “Scholarships have a transformational impact on the lives of individuals and also, more importantly, on their wider communities and societies, thanks to the skills and knowledge gained.”

“I am delighted that the ACU will play a vital role in securing these educational opportunities for young people across all member countries.”

Read more about the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships here.

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