Staff Reporter
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| Ambassador Monji (second left) is seen with Al-Ahmadani, SEC Scholarship Programme co-ordinator Mais al-Kaisi and the Japan embassy’s Public Relation and Political secretary Masayuki Sorimachi during the press conference yesterday |
Guidelines and application forms for the scholarship are available at the Japanese embassy in Qatar.
The deadline to submit the application together with other related documents to the embassy is June 24.
Explaining the application process of the MEXT scholarship at a press conference yesterday, Japanese Ambassador Kenjiro Monji said that the names of those who pass the document screening will be announced on July 1 while a written exam in English and Japanese will be held for them at the embassy between July 3 and 5.
Under MEXT, Qatari students are being offered scholarship to study either as undergraduate or research students (postgraduate).
“For undergraduate study, which will run for five years (from April 2013-March 2018) including the first year study of Japanese language, an applicant must have been born between April 2, 1991 and April 1, 1996 and must be interested in Japanese language,” he said.
Similarly, he said for the postgraduate study, the students will study and do research in Japan for two years (from April 2013-March 2015) including a six-month study of Japanese language. They must be born on or after April 2, 1978.
Candidates will be selected by the Joint Selection Committee comprising officials from the Supreme Education Council (SEC), Qatar University and the Japan embassy, the ambassador said.
On July 11 and 12, the successful applicants will be invited for an interview with the Joint Selection Committee.
The final selection of the candidates will be announced by the Japanese embassy between July 17 and 19. The final result from Tokyo will be announced by the embassy in December.
Also speaking at the press conference, SEC’S Higher Education Institute senior advising and career development officer Elham al-Ahmadani lauded the Japanese government initiatives saying it further consolidated the long-time bilateral relations between the two countries.
“Japan is one of those countries Qatar is willing to partner with because the country is being viewed as one of the fastest developing countries in the world, especially due to its technological advancements,” she noted.
Al-Ahmadani said the SEC, which has also been offering scholarship to Qatari students to study abroad has recently upgraded the list of universities they can choose from. For the academic year 2011-2013 there are more than 900 universities including 14 institutions in Japan.
“Our goal is to promote diversity among our students because we want them to be open-minded by sending them near and far in order to gain experience and learn from other cultures,” she said.
However, the official stressed the need for more Japanese universities to come and promote Japanese education in Qatar during road shows and college fairs in order to attract more Qatari students to their programmes.
Three Qatari students have so far benefited under the MEXT scholarship programme: Abdullah Ziyara (1999-2001: Teacher Training Student) at Graduate School of Education, Shiga University; Abdulrahman al-Hajiri (2001-2003: Research Student) Graduate School of Education, Tokyo Gakugei University; and Hamad Saleh al-Nesef (2009-2011: Research Student) Doshisha University, Kyoto.
Ziyara is working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Doha and is presently in Japan under the Japanese-Language Programme for Foreign Service Officers and Public Officials.
Al-Hajri is the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage Youth Department director and Al-Nesef is working at the Qatar National Bank.
More information about MEXT can be had by calling 44840888 or fax – 44832178 or via website www.qa.emb-japan.go.jp/en/scholarship_e.html