University secures 15 Commonwealth Scholarships for Development Masters students in Uganda

Fifteen Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships, worth a total of £270,000, have been awarded to The Open University to fund Ugandan development practitioners to study for a Masters in Global Development.

The scholarships are funded by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, to enable talented students to access training not otherwise available in their home country, via distance learning.

The OU’s Development Policy and Practice group has successfully secured the maximum award of 15 places, continuing a tradition of welcoming Commonwealth Scholars which has enabled more than 100 students in East Africa to study for a Development Masters since 2006.

These Scholarships are the first to be awarded for the latest version of the university’s Development Masters, launched last year. Scholars will join in November 2022 and study for three years.

The course is taught by The Open University but is managed locally by Kulika Uganda, a registered not-for-profit organisation with over thirty years’ experience in managing scholarships.

DPP’s Dr Frangton Chiyemura, who led the Scholarship bid, said:

“Whilst the course builds up skills for managing development generally, the focus will be on strengthening peace, security and governance.  

“In Uganda, one potentially important application of this will be developing the role of civil society in promoting good governance."

He added: “We are very pleased to have secured these scholarships which will ensure that we continue to support development policy and practice in the region through our teaching.”

Who can apply?

Applicants for the Scholarships must be Ugandan nationals employed by a development agency – NGO, government or private sector – and have a minimum of two years experience working in Uganda on development issues. They should have a good undergraduate degree, preferably in a field related to development and be highly motivated, with a strong, demonstrable commitment to local and national development. More information is available on the Scholarship website.

How to apply

Initial applications must be made direct to The Open University. Applicants should contact Dr Frangton Chiyemura frangton.chiyemura@open.ac.uk in the first instance for further information. Title your email: Commonwealth scholarships Uganda 2022: MSc in Global Development.

The deadline for completed applications is 15 March 2022.