RoK to grant 90 scholarships for training of ASEAN talents
Hanoi (VNA) - The Government of the Republic of Korea (RoK)
will provide a total of 90 doctoral scholarships for candidates from ASEAN
countries to study at six prestigious Korean universities over the next five
years.
The move was announced at an online ceremony on July 22 to launch the
Higher Education for ASEAN Talent (HEAT) programme, and was co-organised by the
Korean delegation in ASEAN, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the Korean Council for
University Education (KCUE).
Eleven candidates selected in the first round are expected to start their
studies in September.
The scholarship
programme was agreed to by ASEAN and Korean leaders in the RoK's Busan last November.
RoK
Ambassador to ASEAN Lim Sung-nam said that through
this programme, the RoK Government hopes to contribute to the development of
human resources in each ASEAN member state.
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Kung
Phoak said people-to-people exchanges via scholarships could help promote mutual
understanding between the bloc and the RoK as well as enhance bilateral
relations.
President of KCUE Kim In-chul said HEAT will help ASEAN develop human
resources and also strengthen competitiveness and capacity at Korean
universities.
HEAT has a total budget of 8.3 million USD from the ASEAN-Korea
Cooperation Fund (AKCF) for many projects and programmes to strengthen ASEAN-RoK
relations and contribute to the building of the ASEAN Community.
Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
groups 10 member countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam./.