Priyakala Rai & Pema Choden | Interns

For the next five years, one student from every SAARC member country will get a South Asian Foundation scholarship to pursue forestry studies at the College of Natural Resources (CNR) in Punakha.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the scholarship was signed between the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) and South Asian Foundation (SAF).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF) and SAF signed an MoU in 2010 to launch and institute scholarships. So far 34 students from South Asia have benefitted from the scheme to study at CNR, and 27 students have graduated.

On the expiration of the MoU and mutual consent of the parties, the MoU between SAF and the MoAF has been transferred to RUB.

RUB Vice-Chancellor Nidup Dorji said, “We have new master’s programmes at the college relevant to forestry and environment such as the Master’s in Natural Resources Management and Masters in conservation. There are PhD programs in climate studies too.”

The Organization for Youth Empowerment (OYE) Executive Director and the President of CNR signed a Letter of Agreement to formalise the activities of the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Centre for South Asia Forestry Studies scholarship at CNR.