India Announces $500,000 Scholarship Programme for Indo-Pacific Students at Quad Summit

By Vaidant October 3, 2024
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In a significant move to strengthen educational ties within the Indo-Pacific region, India has announced a $500,000 scholarship programme for 50 students from the region. The announcement was made during the fourth in-person Quad Summit, hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware.

The scholarships are aimed at students pursuing a four-year undergraduate engineering programme at Government of India-funded technical institutions. This initiative, formally declared through the Wilmington Declaration, is expected to open new avenues for students from Indo-Pacific countries to pursue higher education in India.

The Quad, comprising India, the U.S., Japan, and Australia, emphasised its commitment to promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the region. The alliance also introduced an expansion of the Quad Fellowship programme, which will include postgraduate and doctoral STEM courses in the U.S. by 2024.

For the first time, students from ASEAN countries will also be eligible to join the Quad Fellowship, reflecting the group’s broader regional engagement. The Japanese government will additionally support Quad Fellows in studying in Japan, further broadening the scope of academic opportunities within the alliance.

This year’s Quad Summit, attended by leaders from all four nations, also discussed other strategic priorities, such as enhancing maritime capabilities and responding to disaster relief. The event marked a crucial juncture in the alliance’s efforts to counterbalance China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Quad initiative continues to gain support from the private sector, with organisations like Google and the Pratt Foundation contributing to the fellowship programme’s growth.

Source: THE PIE NEWS

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