Persons interested in applying for scholarships to undertake postgraduate studies in New Zealand should consider areas of renewable energy, agriculture and disaster risk management.

This was stressed recently by High Commissioner of New Zealand to Barbados, Jan Henderson when she met with officials of the Ministry of Education, Science Technology and Innovation.

Acknowledging that her country had an enhanced scholarship programme, High Commissioner Henderson encouraged prospective students to apply for the various scholarships on offer.

???We hope that these will attract many Barbadians???We would love to get a crop of students from here. But we have to stress that the priority will be given to candidates who apply in those areas. It is not necessarily absolutely hard and fast but definitely a priority,??? she stressed.

She added that New Zealand competed with Canada and Australia in terms of quality and noted that its eight universities were among the top 500 in the world, with approximately two in the top 200. Mrs. Henderson added: ???When you think of all the universities in the world, to have all of the New Zealand universities in the top 500??? [it means] we offer quality and it is competitive.???

As she noted that students were required to first apply to the New Zealand University of choice, the High Commissioner explained: ???We have the applicant go directly to the university; we???ve tried different systems, but this seems to be the most efficient. The university assesses whether they [the students] have the prerequisite training and if they are accepted then we wrap the scholarship around them.

???So, it doesn???t come to [The Ministry of] Foreign Affairs and then to universities. The applicants, themselves, take responsibility. [It] goes to the university once they know that they have actually got it??? It does mean [using] a bit of initiative on the part of the person, which we think is good.???

Persons are invited to apply for the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan for studies in New Zealand. The academic year starts in February 2015.??The deadline for submission of applications to the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation is June 6, 2014.

joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb

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