News
Read the latest news about the CSC community and find out more about our current Scholars and Fellows, Alumni and partners.
Latest News
Development in Action webinar series: High-risk feminism in Colombia: women’s mobilisation in violent contexts and lessons learnt
On Wednesday 24 May, the CSC Alumni Team hosted the Development in Action webinar on ‘High-risk feminism in Colombia: women’s mobilisation in violent contexts and lessons learnt’. The webinar was delivered by Commonwealth Alumnus, Dr Julia Zulver. This webinar...
Closing the gender gap in STEM through digital literacy
Globally, women are significantly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. In Nigeria, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) estimates that only 22% of graduates in STEM subjects are women.
Addressing Commonwealth leaders on higher education and youth engagement
On 11 and 12 May 2023, Commonwealth Scholar Olamide Eso attended the Commonwealth Education Ministers Action Group (CEMAG) and Commonwealth Accelerated Development Mechanism for Education (CADME) meetings hosted at the Commonwealth Secretariat headquarters in London...
Alumni Community Engagement Fund – Applications now open!
ACEF is an annual fund which seeks to support Commonwealth Alumni in raising awareness of key development issues at the community level through the organisation of an engagement activity.
Host applications are open for the Commonwealth Gender and Sexuality Fellowship
In 2024, the CSC will deliver a Commonwealth Gender and Sexuality Fellowship for professionals working to support the rights, freedoms, dignity, and inclusion of communities who are discriminated against because of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender...
Empowering teachers to support girls to stay in school
Uganda has made significant progress in promoting girls’ education, most notably through the Universal Primary Education (UPE) policy. Despite these efforts, female literacy and school attendance remain low. According to the World Bank, in 2017 only 54% of primary school-aged girls in Uganda completed primary education.
Development in Action webinar series: Democratising healthcare in Pakistan through telemedicine
On Wednesday 11 April, the CSC Alumni Team were joined by Commonwealth Alumnus Dr Iffat Zafar Aga for the Development in Action webinar series. Dr Aga shared a presentation on ‘Democratising healthcare in Pakistan through telemedicine’ about the role of technology in...
Imagined possibilities: Disability sports and inclusive higher education
On 3 December 2022, Commonwealth Alumnus Abass Isiaka marked International Day for People with Disabilities (PWDs) by delivering an awareness event on the topic, ‘Imagined possibilities: Disability sports and inclusive higher education’, at the University of Ilorin (UoI), Nigeria. The activity promoted the 2021/2022 ACEF theme, Sports for Development.
Master’s Scholars discuss how to maximise their impact at Cumberland Lodge
Last month, the CSC welcomed 46 Commonwealth Master’s and Shared Scholars to its residential workshop on Maximising your Impact: Training for Development. The workshop took place over three days at Cumberland Lodge, a former royal residence and now an educational...
Go blue: engaging Kenya’s youth in marine conservation
Marine litter is a major challenge across Kenya’s vast and varied coastlines, with plastics the largest and most harmful element, accounting for at least 85% of total marine waste. This and other waste is choking the oceans, inflicting permanent harm on marine...
Latest Publications and Resources
Knowledge, Networks and Development: 20 years of Commonwealth Professional Fellowships
‘In my career, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened’ said Dr Akinniyi Ayobami Adeleke, reflecting on the transformative impact of his CSC Professional Fellowship. As Head Librarian at Redeemer’s University in Nigeria, Dr Adeleke continually applies the advanced computer programming and management skills gained through his Fellowship at the University of East London towards the upgrading and modernisation of his university’s library services, as well as the upskilling of his colleagues.
Alumni Voices: Exploring the Outcomes and Impact of Commonwealth Scholarships
The CSC has long known that its Alumni go on to become change agents in their institutions and communities and that their Scholarships and Fellowships are a key contributor to this work. The establishment of the CSC’s dedicated Evaluation and Monitoring programme has facilitated the systematic gathering of evidence and data to support this knowledge, initially through surveys but increasingly through more innovative and rich methodologies including, most recently, a case study approach. This approach, as applied by the CSC, has involved investigation of individual Alumni trajectories through in-depth interviews, giving them an opportunity to share details of their experiences and developmental activities following the Scholarship. The case study approach allowed for a much more thorough investigation and understanding of the wider benefits of the Commonwealth Scholarships as well as the wide variety of contexts that have facilitated or hindered the achievement of Scholarship outcomes and impact.
CSC @ DHG 2021
After co-hosting the 10th Donor Harmonisation Group Forum in London in partnership with the Association of Commonwealth Universities and British Council, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission was pleased to attend the 11th Donor Harmonisation Group Forum in Basel,...
Experiences of Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni: Enabling Factors and Barriers to Scholarship Impact
The CSC offers a wide range of Scholarships and Fellowships which provide opportunities for talented and motivated individuals from across the Commonwealth to gain knowledge and skills with the aim of contributing towards sustainable development. Over the years, data collected from the Commonwealth Alumni has reinforced anecdotal evidence that the wide variety of contexts that Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows return to can act as barriers or enabling factors (or in some cases both) when it comes to Alumni securing relevant employment, applying the skills and knowledge acquired during their studies to their full potential, and realising their potential for development impact.
Forging connections and collaboration across the Commonwealth: A Review of the Commonwealth Academic Fellowship Programme
As well as offering Scholarships for postgraduate and doctoral study, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission has funded almost 2,500 Academic Fellowships since 1969, providing early and mid-career academics from across the Commonwealth with the opportunity to work and undertake research at UK universities. The CSC Evaluation Team recently undertook a review of the programme using data gathered from the 2015-2017 cohorts. The aim was to identify the outcomes, impact, and the scope of the potential short and long-term benefits of the Academic Fellowships on the Fellows’ Host institutions in the UK and their employing institutions in their home countries, as well as on the Fellows themselves.
Learning more about the Commonwealth Split-site programme
The CSC has proudly offered Scholarships for Split-site doctoral study for over twenty years and is delighted to announce the launch of the 2021 programme. Since 1998, this programme has provided a unique opportunity for more than 500 Commonwealth Scholars studying...
Twenty Years of Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships
The CSC is proud to have supported over 3,000 exceptional scholars from 41 countries across the Commonwealth to undertake Commonwealth Scholarships by Distance Learning over the last two decades. In the run-up to the twentieth anniversary of the programme, the CSC is preparing to undertake an in-depth programme evaluation, beginning with the publication of a short rapid analysis summary and infographic highlighting the unique attributes and impact of the programme.
Commonwealth Doctoral Scholarships 1960 – 2015
The CSC is extremely proud of its support for doctoral research and of the thousands of Commonwealth Alumni who have obtained their PhD as a result. This review, completed in 2017 looked at the Commonwealth PhD Scholarship programme from 1960-2015 by which point over...
Successes and complexities: the outcomes of UK Commonwealth Scholarships 1960-2012
The CSC's commitment to evaluation and monitoring and to understanding the post award experiences of its Scholars and Alumni led to the further expansion of its data gathering, with a refined survey building on the experience of the initial alumni impact survey...
A study of research methodology used in evaluations of international scholarship schemes for higher education
International scholarship schemes for higher education are widely supported by governments, supranational bodies, and charitable organisations as part of both public diplomacy and developmental assistance commitments. Although the objectives of many scholarship...