Jakarta, 13 September 2017 – The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are inviting undergraduate students in ASEAN of all disciplines to apply for the fourth batch of the SHARE scholarships to study at ASEAN or EU universities for one semester in the period December 2017 – August 2018.
The application period will open on 13 September 2017 and run until 10 November 2017. Detailed information on how to apply for the scholarship and the online application system are available at www.share-asean.eu.
‘This special partnership with the EU allows us to empower talented students to pursue their chosen careers and exchange invaluable insights and experience. An effective regional higher education system centred on a robust scholarship scheme for students is a key element in promoting people connectivity. Enhancing student mobility is a priority of ASEAN as stipulated in the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2016-2020 as well as the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Higher Education of 2015’, said Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for the Socio-Cultural Community.
Francisco Fontan, the EU Ambassador to ASEAN, said that, ‘The EU in collaboration with ASEAN is providing 500 scholarships for ASEAN students through the EU Support to Higher Education in ASEAN Region (SHARE) programme. SHARE Scholarships are life- changing opportunities for students in the ASEAN region. In Europe, the Erasmus+ programme has taught us in the past thirty years how important studying abroad is for individual careers as well as for building a regional community. I strongly encourage ASEAN students to apply for the fourth batch SHARE Scholarship.’
Following the great success of the first three batches of the SHARE Scholarship Programme, the EU and ASEAN have awarded 171 full scholarships to ASEAN undergraduate students from 32 ASEAN universities in 8 ASEAN Member States. For the fourth batch, there are total 175 scholarships will be provided for undergraduate students in ASEAN.
Normawati Susanto, a student at Diponegoro University in Indonesia received a scholarship batch 2 to study at Mandalay University in Myanmar and had this to say, ‘Student exchange is neither only about sitting in the class nor transferring the marks. Yet, it is about meeting the new people and adjusting their culture. Hence, we can figure out ourselves then we can be more respectful or even wiser. Being an exchange student is one of the great things that ever happen to my life. I got many experiences which I never could imagine before. So, thank you SHARE Program!’