News
Read the latest news about the CSC community and find out more about our current Scholars and Fellows, Alumni and partners.
Latest News
Promoting Gender and Sexuality – applications for the Alumni Community Engagement Fund are 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.
Development in Action webinar series: Empowering women and youth in Uganda through social entrepreneurship
On Monday 29 April, the CSC Alumni Team hosted the CSC webinar on, empowering women and youth in Uganda through social entrepreneurship, delivered by Commonwealth Alumnus James Otai. This webinar addressed the CSC development theme of promoting innovation and...
Building farmers’ resilience to drought through natural farming in India
In November 2023, Commonwealth Alumnus Meesha Tandon delivered a workshop and training programme for farmers to promote natural farming using indigenous methods and raise awareness on climate resilient agriculture practices in Bundlekhand.
Revitalising indigenous knowledge for effective post-harvest management in Uganda
In October 2023, Commonwealth Alumnus Fredrick Omara delivered a sensitisation workshop and radio awareness talk show to promote IKP to reduce post-harvest losses (PHL) in Uganda.
Promoting indigenous knowledge for sustainable mangrove restoration in Ghana’s Volta River Estuary
From October 2023 to March 2024, Commonwealth Alumnus Sylvanus S. P. Doe delivered a series of awareness activities to promote ways in which mangroves can be sustainably reforested and restored using indigenous ecological knowledge to develop a mangrove restoration project.
Uniting Communities for a Greener Ayedire, Nigeria
In January 2024, through a week-long series of activities, Commonwealth Alumnus Olusegun Micheal Akanmu sought to raise awareness of climate change and promote sustainable energy solutions and alternative construction materials in Ayedire, Osun State, Nigeria.
Uniting indigenous knowledge and forest management expertise to safeguard Kenya’s Eburru Forest
In August 2023, Commonwealth Alumnus Sylvester Ngome Chisika delivered a sensitisation workshop to share ways of integrating traditional and indigenous methods of biodiversity conservation with modern forest management certification in Eburru Forest.
Breaking barriers for women offenders in Kenya
In September 2023, Commonwealth Alumnus Benson Mwangi Njongoro delivered a workshop in Nairobi to raise awareness of the challenges faced by women during and post-imprisonment, and improve their access to existing services and reintegration programmes. The workshop highlighted the gender-sensitive needs of women offenders and addressed the barriers and stigma they face.
Building ICT and Digital Skills in the Solomon Islands
In February 2024, the Solomon Islands Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni Associations (SICSAA) delivered a two-day STEM Awareness Basic ICT and Digital Skills Workshop at Kulu Community High School, North East Guadalcanal. The workshop aimed to address digital literacy in disadvantaged rural communities. The activity was organised by Commonwealth Scholar Martiza Nanau and supported by fellow Commonwealth Alumni from the Solomon Islands.
Strengthening gender equality in Ugandan schools
In October 2023, Commonwealth Alumnus Sarah Rachael Akello delivered a radio talk show and community-focused workshop to promote gender equality, raise awareness about diverse gender identities and associated challenges , and advocate for the provision of equal opportunities at the household and community level, and in schools and workplaces in Kaberemaido district, Uganda.
Latest Publications and Resources
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...
