On 1 November, the Solomon Islands Commonwealth Scholars Alumni Association (SICSAA) held an event to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC).
Since 1988, 16 citizens of the Solomon Islands have been awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship or Fellowship.
The event was held at the CAM Enterprises Conference Room in Honoraria and brought together over 20 attendees, comprised of Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni, representatives of the Commonwealth Students Association, John Iromea, Director and staff of the National Scholarship Division, Solomon Islands Tertiary Education and Skills Authority (the national nominating agency for Commonwealth Scholarships), and Emma Davis, Deputy British High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands. They were joined by the Presidents of the University of the South Pacific Students Association and the Solomon Islands Students Association, as well as students from the University of the South Pacific and those interested in becoming future Commonwealth Scholars.
Promoting future opportunities
Alongside celebrating the work and impact of Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni over the CSC’s 65-year history, the event provided an important and timely platform to raise awareness of new scholarship initiatives available to Solomon Islanders and citizens of other Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Samoa in October, His Majesty King Charles III, as Head of the Commonwealth, announced the new King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme (KCFP). An ambitious interdisciplinary three-part initiative, KCFP will offer fellowships for mid-career public service professionals, undergraduate scholarships, and PhDs. Delivered together, these three strands will enable sustained short, medium and long-term impact for Commonwealth SIDS and their communities.
During CHOGM, the CSC also announced a new stream of Commonwealth Scholarships for Small Island Developing States. The Small Island Developing States scholarship stream will fund 20 dedicated Master’s Scholarships per year in 2026-27 and 2027-28 to help deliver the aims of CHOGM 2024.
Supporting potential applicants
In his keynote address, John Iromea shared his experiences overseeing the nomination of candidates for Commonwealth Scholarships and the high quality of both applicants and recipients of these awards. He highlighted the importance of these opportunities and thanked the UK Government and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for making more scholarships available through the National Scholarship Division, Solomon Islands Tertiary Education and Skills Authority.
Following his address, Martiza Nanau, Coordinator of SICSAA delivered an overview of Commonwealth Scholarships in the Pacific and presented on the different CSC Commonwealth Scholarship programmes available and how to apply. She also shared further details on the exciting new scholarship schemes soon to be available: the King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme and CSC’s Small Island Developing States scholarship stream.
Participants then enjoyed a networking lunch to reflect on the information shared and announcements, after which they convened to take part in two workshops on how to write high quality scholarship applications and how to prepare for scholarship interviews.
Strengthening networks
The event provided an opportunity for Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni to network with the National Scholarships Division Team and the British High Commission Team, as well as members of the general public.
Martiza closed the event with a vote of thanks and confirmed that following the event and with new scholarship opportunities on the horizon, SICSAA would work closely with National Scholarship Division as the national nominating agency to raise awareness of future scholarship and fellowship opportunities.
