Sherab Lhamo 

Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Royal Government of Bhutan finalised the grant aid agreement for the human resource development scholarship project in Thimphu yesterday.

Under this agreement, Japan will provide a grant aid of JPY 191 million (Nu 11.2 million) to the Royal Government of Bhutan to support educational expenses for those individuals who receive the scholarship to pursue higher studies in Japan.

The selection process is based on the overall evaluation of a candidate’s academic performance and the suitability of the proposed research projects in addressing Bhutan’s development challenges.

The grant aims to support the academic pursuits of ten young and aspiring civil servants, one for PhD and nine for master programmes.

The primary objective of this grant is to support human resource development and enhance bilateral relationship, understanding and co-operation between Bhutan and Japan.

In the first phase, between 2018 and 2022, the Government of Japan provided financial support for 39 Bhutanese officials, 36 for master and three PhD programmes. 

The project is committed to cultivating high-quality human resources and to encouraging the fellows to address the country’s development issues. It is also expected to strengthen the capacity of Bhutan’s civil service.