Students awarded Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia

Three Kiwi-Indians are amongst the awardees of the Prime Minister’s scholarship for Asia. 54 students have been awarded scholarships in the first round for the year 2015.

“The first Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia for 2015 have now been awarded and I’m thrilled to see Amarjit Paul Rataul; Ashwind Anand Pillay and Siddharth Patel receive scholarships which will take them to Singapore; Peoples Republic of China and Japan respectively,” List MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi said.

The Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) is a scholarship programme funded by the New Zealand government and administered by Education New Zealand. Established in June 2013, the scholarship is awarded to individuals and covers costs relating to study or research in Asia.
Mr Bakshi says our next generation need to be able to work in different cultural environments and communicate in different languages as our international and trading links grow – particularly within the Asia-Pacific region.

“These scholarships will go a long way in supporting a future of international marketers, traders, diplomats, and entrepreneurs.

“We are a trading nation, so it’s important our future workforce have the opportunity to understand some of our most important trading partners while they are studying. A skilled workforce is the engine-room of a thriving economy,” Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi said.

The scholarships for this round will take the recipients to China, Japan, India, Korea, Thailand, or Indonesia.

Applications are welcome from eligible candidates who are dedicated to building lasting connections between New Zealand and Asia and can be made by individuals or groups to Education New Zealand.

The scholarship’s goals are to:

• strengthen New Zealand’s ability to engage with key Asian trading partners
• improve the international skills of the New Zealand workforce
• improve the internationalisation of New Zealand tertiary institutions
• increase international understanding of the strength and quality of New Zealand's education system
• establish connections between New Zealand and other countries through participants building lifelong friendships and networks
• strengthen New Zealanders' understanding of other cultures.

Countries: 

Approved destinations are ASEAN countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, as well as China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, India and Sri Lanka.

Institutions: 

Government wants PMSA recipients to study at great institutions, so preference is for top 500 educational institutions or educational institutions with whom a New Zealand educational institution has a formal agreement or partnership.

Eligible Candidates

All applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
• Be a New Zealand citizen or Permanent Residence holder of a minimum 2 years at the time of application.
• NOT hold citizenship in their destination country in Asia.
• Propose a programme that meets the requirements of the PMSA.

Eligible Programmes

Programmes must be at least 6 weeks up to a maximum of 2 years and demonstrably linked to New Zealand’s trade or economic agenda in Asia. Programmes must take place in Asia and be full time i.e. a minimum 20 hours per week (or 30 hours per week if combined study plus internship).
Programme Type

There are two categories of eligible programmes; exchange programmes, and independent (non-exchange) programmes. If you are unsure whether your programme is an exchange, check with the Exchange or International Office at your current institution.

1. Exchange programmes

Eligible programmes that meet the following criteria are classified as exchange programmes:
• Student is currently enrolled at a New Zealand institution
• Programme is included in the NZ institution’s current exchange portfolio
• Student continues to pay regular fees to their NZ institution during their programme in Asia

Note; credits from an exchange programme usually count towards the student’s NZ-based programme, all though this is not always the case.

2. Independent programmes (non-exchange)

All eligible programmes that are not exchange are considered ‘independent’, whether the applicant is currently enrolled at a New Zealand institution or not. This category includes:

• part or whole undergraduate and postgraduate programmes
• language programmes
• trade or economic-related short-term research or internships
• other, non-exchange programmes that can be demonstrated to meet the programme requirements and PMSA objectives.

Value of the award

The two categories of eligible programme each have their own funding policy.

1. Exchange Programmes

PMSA funding for exchange programmes is awarded based on the duration of the programme and the quality of the candidate and their application with regards to the goals of the PMSA. Successful exchange PMSA candidates will be awarded between $200 and $250 per week, for each week they are actively on programme in Asia.

2. Independent programmes (non-exchange)

PMSA candidates on non-exchange programmes may request funding for legitimate and reasonable expenses pertinent to the completion of the proposed programme.

• Approved expenses include, but are not necessarily limited to;
• Tuition/programme fees for your Asian institution
• Economy flights to and from your Asian destination
• Accommodation (while actively on programme)
• Living expenses  (while actively on programme)
• Insurance (while actively on programme, including travel to and from Asia)

Applications are now open for the next round of scholarships and close on 30 September 2015.