As much as 1.6 million pounds sterling have been pledged by the donors for the Commonwealth scholarships on the eve of the 17th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Kuala Lumpur. 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 launch announced by the Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, on Tuesday represents the start of an 18-month fundraising campaign, bridging the fiftieth anniversary of the Plans launch and October 2010 the fiftieth anniversary of the first cohort of students, drawn from countries including Australia, Pakistan, Ghana, India and Jamaica. The idea of establishing a permanent legacy of the CSFPs 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 percent have returned home and are still working in their home country.
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.