The post-graduate fully funded scholarship programme, launched globally by the British Council in partnership with 19 UK universities, is aimed at benefiting women from South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Americas who aspire to access the UK’s renowned STEM courses but lack the financial resources.
It has been awarded to women with a background in STEM, who could demonstrate their need for financial support and who wish to inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in STEM.
Information of the five Vietnamese recipients of the scholarships. (Photo credit to British Council)
Across East Asia, 15 scholarships are being awarded to women from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam.
Recipient Nguyen Thi Kim Chi who will be studying MSc Earth Futures: Environments, Communities, Relationships at University of Glasgow said: “I believe education is important for all. It has been my dream to spread the spirit of female leadership and encourage women to pursue higher education, at least to all the girls in my hometown seeing that I was one of the very few girls who finished an undergraduate degree.”
“I want to spread the spirit of the scholarship and help more women engaged in social projects and pursue careers in STEM. Growing up in a rural area and having been working in the non-profit sector, it would have been challenging to cover tuition fees and monthly expenses in the UK by myself. Thank you to the British Council for the support in letting me fulfil this dream” she added.
The winners have emerged successful from a rigorous process alongside thousands of applicants to receive a fully funded study offer from one of the UK’s world-class universities that are amongst the world’s leaders in STEM subjects.
‘We are delighted to be able to support the career development of women in science through these scholarships, which support closer educational collaboration and exchange between the UK and Viet Nam. We sincerely hope that it will prove to be a pivotal moment in the careers of these women and open doors to many opportunities in the future. We also believe these women will act as role models to the next generation of female scientists,’ said Ms Donna McGowan, Director Vietnam, British Council.
Complete financial support including tuition fees, stipend, travel costs, visa and health coverage fees are provided by the scholarship, with special support for mothers and for those who need English language training. Many of the winners will be pursuing their academic ambitions in STEM at a UK university for the first time.
This scholarship programme aims to increase opportunities in STEM for girls and women.
According to data from the UN Scientific Education and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), fewer than 30% of researchers worldwide are women and only 30% of female students select STEM-related fields in higher education./.