Tk 157m Japan scholarship for BD candidates

Japan will extend a grant aid worth approximately Tk 157 million for the Human Resource Development Scholarship to Bangladeshis.

Shiro Sadoshima, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, and Mohammad Mejbahuddin, Secretary of Economic Relations Division under the Ministry of Finance, exchanged notes on behalf of their respective governments in this connection, said a press release Thursday.

Mikio Hataeda, Chief Representative of JICA Bangladesh Office, and Mohammad Mejbahuddin signed the grant agreement.

Shiro Sadoshima said, "Human resource development is the base of socio-economic development. JDS provides opportunities to study in Japan and learn how public administration is managed in Japan. This year is the first year of a new four-year-phase."

Since the beginning of this project in Bangladesh in 2002, Japan has accepted 228 students and 196 of them have returned successfully, achieving master's degree.

Compared to Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship Program, which is open to all Bangladeshi students, the JDS project targets Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Cadre officers and Bangladesh Bank Class-1 officers who are expected to play a significant role in their country by offering practical solutions to issues on socio-economic development.