GLOBAL: Scholarships effective in democracy support

Two evaluation reports from the UK's Commonwealth Scholarship Commission were launched this week ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia - one based on a survey of more than 2,000 former scholars and fellows around the Commonwealth, and the other focusing on 15 Commonwealth countries in Asia.

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) manages Britain's contribution to the international Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, which was established in 1959 and supports around 700 awards annually.

These range from general scholarships for postgraduate and in some cases undergraduate study at any UK university, to scholarships and fellowships aimed specifically at academic staff in universities or for study in the field of medicine.

The international awards aim to provide access to expert knowledge, skills and experience often not available in the home countries of scholarship holders. For the most part, alumni return to their home countries to work.

The emphasis is on adding value to democratic development activity throughout the Commonwealth with the intention of maintaining stability, encouraging socio-economic development and reducing poverty.

Since 2007 the CSC has been involved in wide-scale evaluation aimed at assessing and understanding the impact of its awards on individuals, institutions and wider society.

According to the report on research into 2,200 former scholars and fellows, Evaluating Commonwealth Scholarships in the United Kingdom: Assessing impact in building and sustaining Commonwealth principles on democracy: "Commonwealth scholars and fellows are involved in activity leading to democratic governance, equality and stability at grassroots, national and international levels."

A CSC press release quoted the report's author, Sarah Hinz: "Alumni have been able to gain skills and knowledge which they have taken back to their home countries and used to support activity in different areas relating to democracy, including constructive international relations, protection of human rights and assistance in humanitarian crises."

In terms of four key areas relating to democracy - governance, international relations, social inequalities and human rights, and conflict resolution and humanitarian assistance - the study found that 47% of those surveyed reported having an impact in at least one area.

And of these, 61% work in education, with 97% of them in higher education, "reinforcing the argument that academics and their universities have the potential for far-reaching impact on development and on their societies".

The second evaluation study focused on impact on a regional basis, among former scholars and fellows from 15 Asia-Pacific Commonwealth countries.

In terms of how alumni were using their skills and expertise to have impact in their home countries, it considered national priority areas such as science and innovation, the environment, governance, agriculture and international relations.

The report Evaluating Commonwealth Scholarships in the United Kingdom: Assessing impact in the Asia-Pacific region states that approximately 1,580 (roughly 8%) of the 17,000 awards made by the CSC since its inception had been to candidates from the Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

According to Nyssa Lee-Woolf, the report's author, the study findings were positive for the region as a whole.

"The Asia-Pacific region covers a huge geographical area - from Malaysia to Samoa - and a diverse range of countries at differing stages of development. Our study has shown that Commonwealth scholars and fellows are making a positive impact on issues such as climate change and economic growth, which affect the whole region and beyond."

The report says: "Most alumni would describe themselves as professionals and are currently working within the education sector. However, in many cases they have impacted [on] a wide variety of other sectors throughout their careers."

The findings indicated that 99% of survey respondents from the region had gained skills and expertise from the scholarships and 92% used these at work, with 84% reporting an impact in their home country through specific projects, influencing government policy or wider socio-economic impact.

Examples of impact include "working with government ministries to draw up inclusive education policy, implementing a new system of weather forecasting, and developing renewable energy using hydrogen and biofuel technologies".