Staff reporter   

The Government of Japan will provide a grant of Yen 194 million to Bhutan to support 9 Master’s and one PhD courses for young civil servants in Japanese universities in 2023.

This is the second phase of the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship between Bhutan and Japan. Under this phase, a total of 36 Master’s programs and 4 PhD programs will be offered to Bhutan between 2023 and 2026.

Ambassador of Bhutan to Japan V. Namgyel and Ambassador of Japan to Bhutan Suzuki Satoshi signed the exchange of notes under the second phase of the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship in New Delhi yesterday.

The Royal Civil Service Commission in consultation with various agencies has identified two broad areas for the scholarship courses: i) improving administrative ability and institution building which includes economic policy development, public policy and administration and international relations. ii) Building a strong base for sustained economic growth which includes agriculture and rural development policy, countermeasures for climate change policy and disaster risk management, and infrastructure development policy for sustainable economic growth. Priority areas for PhD program are economics, engineering, seismology, flood disasters and data analytics, mining and artificial intelligence.

In the first phase between 2018 and 2022, the Government of Japan provided grant to support scholarships for 36 Master’s degree and four PhD courses for Bhutanese officials.

A press release from the foreign ministry stated: “The Government of Japan has been generously supporting Bhutan in many different areas, such as agriculture, telecommunications, rural electrification, construction of bridges, building of schools, providing fire engines, police patrol cars, compactor trucks, ambulances, and medical equipment and farm machinery.

“The Royal Government of Bhutan also received generous support from the Government of Japan to fight against the spread of Covid-19 and help with the economic recovery effort of the Royal Government.

“Like all the other projects supported by the Government of Japan to date, this project too will further strengthen the excellent bonds of friendship, understanding, and cooperation between Bhutan and Japan.”

Ambassador V. Namgyel conveyed the deep appreciation of the Royal Government and people of Bhutan to the Government and people of Japan for their steadfast and generous support of Bhutan’s socio-economic development for many years, and for their assurances of continued support in the years ahead.

Ambassador Suzuki Satoshi said that the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship will impart advanced knowledge to young public officials of Bhutan which is essential for the country’s development, and will further enhance mutual understanding between Japan and Bhutan.