Eighteen lecturers from Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutes (RFTIs) in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania have been awarded scholarships to pursue their postgraduate studies at top Universities in China.
The Lecturers were selected from 16 Regional Flagship TVET Institutes (RFTIs) supported by the World Bank, through East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP). The scholarships are part of the Project’s effort to improve the quality of TVET programmes in East Africa.
The scholarship is part of a 5-year tripartite partnership between the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the People’s Republic of China through the Ministry of Education, and the World Bank to promote excellence in TVET and facilitate regional integration in East Africa.
The Scholarship Programme, which was signed in Beijing in November 2019 and commenced in the 2020/2021 academic year, will offer over 100 scholarships to qualified young lecturers who are currently teaching in the RFTIs over a period of five years to pursue masters and PhD level study at top Universities and Technical Colleges in China. To-date a total of 35 scholarships have been awarded.
The programme is intended to compliment the World Bank EASTRIP support but with focus on improving the much needed academic, technical, and pedagogical capacity of the faculty in the growing sectors of the economy including but not limited to Manufacturing, ICT, Energy, ICT, Agriculture, and Transport and to promote regional integration.
The selection process of candidates was rigorous involving the college management, IUCEA, the China Scholarship Council, and Chinese universities. Among this year’s awardees, 9 are from Ethiopia, 4 are from Kenya, and 5 are from Tanzania, all going to top STEM universities in China including Tsinghua University and Zhejiang University. Among the awardees, 9 will be offering PhDs and 9 Master’s programmes.
EASTRIP is currently supporting 16 Regional Flagship TVET institutes (RFTIs) in the region to improve access and quality of TVET programmes for economic transformation and regional integration.
The Scholarship is open to both male and female students from Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania under the age of 35 years for master’s Programs and under the age of 40 years for doctoral programs. Out of the 20 selected candidates for the 2020/2021 academic year, 6 are females.
The 20 scholarships are available annually for five years, to support college students and teachers from Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania to pursue relevant technical and engineering master’s or Ph.D. degrees in top Chinese universities and technical colleges.
