A motorist rides past the education ministry in Phnom Penh last year. Heng Chivoan
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport is recruiting 26 state employees to pursue their master’s and doctorate degrees in Japan beginning in 2022 under the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship by Japanese Grant Aid (JDS).
The ministry said 24 recruits will have two years to study for a master’s degree and the other will have three years to complete a doctorate. Travel expenses, tuition fees and a monthly stipend will be provided by the Japanese government.
Nine majors are available for candidates to choose from including infrastructure development, private sector development and international relations, among others.
Applicants will go through a screening process and an interview. Candidates who wish to apply must complete the application form and submit it between September 13 and November 11 at the JICE-JDS office in Boeung Reang commune of the capital’s Daun Penh district.
Candidates applying for master’s degrees must be Cambodian citizens aged 22-39 by April 1, 2022. They must have at least two years of work experience as a full-time public servant at a government institution relevant to the degree they wish to pursue and be in good physical and mental health. They must have English language skills at a level adequate enough to study for a graduate degree.
For eligibility for the doctorate degree scholarship, candidates must be Cambodian citizens under the age of 45 by April 1, 2022, who have completed a master’s degree through JDS and have at least two years of experience working as public servants.
“All scholarship students will have an important role to play in improving the quality of human resources for the development of Cambodia in all areas today and in the future,” said education ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha.
Nuon Rydo, vice chief officer of laboratory, was awarded a JDS scholarship in 2020. She said she hoped it will further strengthen her capacity to participate in the formulation and implementation of the government’s socio-economic development plans.
“It will also help strengthen the relationship between Cambodia and Japan, as well as other countries, through the class’s activity. In particular, I will have the opportunity to learn about Japanese society, culture and development in various fields,” she said.
According to Soveacha, between 1980 and 2020, a total of 19,546 Cambodian students have received scholarships to study abroad, 1,357 of them in Japan.
For 2020, a total of 421 Cambodian students received scholarships from other countries, including the 56 who received Japanese scholarships.
Ro Kimlong
