Japan pledges 495 million Yen scholarship fund to Bangladesh
The Exchange of Notes and Grant Agreement for the project were signed today (26 June) between the governments of Bangladesh and Japan.
The Japanese government has pledged 495 million Yen (approximately Tk35.25 crore) to fund the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS).
The exchange of notes and grant agreement for the project was signed today (26 June) between the governments of Bangladesh and Japan.
Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the Economic Relations Division in the Ministry of Finance, signed the exchange of notes and grant agreement on behalf of the government of Bangladesh.
Iwama Kiminori, ambassador of Japan in Bangladesh, signed the exchange of notes, while Ichiguchi Tomohide, chief representative of JICA Bangladesh, signed the grant agreement on behalf of the government of Japan.
The JDS project has been in operation since 2001 and will continue until 2025, under the implementation of the Economic Relations Division.
The grant will be used to provide scholarships to BCS cadre officers, judicial service officers, first-class officers of the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, and Bangladesh Bank officials.
These scholarships will enable them to pursue Master's and PhD courses at various universities in Japan. To date, 442 officials have completed their Master's degrees and seven officials have achieved PhD degrees from Japanese institutions.
Upon returning, these officials apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills in their workplaces, contributing to the nation's development.
Japan is Bangladesh's largest bilateral development partner. Since Bangladesh's independence, Japan has committed $32.37 billion towards its development.
This includes soft loans as well as significant grants and technical assistance for various projects, supporting human resource development, socio-economic progress, and environmental protection.