By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 23: A total of 49 students have received scholarships for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree (EMJMD) programme from Nepal this year. The scholarships, provided by the European Union (EU) under its Erasmus+ initiative, allow students to pursue a two-year Master’s degree in various universities inside and outside Europe.
To congratulate the scholarship recipients and to brief them about living and studying in Europe, the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal and the Erasmus Mundus Association Nepal organised a virtual pre-departure orientation session on Tuesday.
Speaking on the occasion, EU Ambassador to Nepal Nona Deprez shared that the scholarships were a way to promote people-to-people connectivity. She also hoped that the knowledge the students gained from their time abroad would prove useful for Nepal when they returned.
Shashank Khaniya, who received the 2021-2023 EMJMD scholarship for Sustainable Forest and Nature Management, believed that the opportunity to gain an education in Europe and experience their culture would prove highly advantageous for him.
Similarly, Pratikshya Shrestha, who received the scholarship for Plant Breeding, said that the programme would expose her to the latest technology and build her capabilities, thereby allowing her to contribute to the nation.
Niranjan Khadka, country representative of the Erasmus Mundus Association Nepal, talked about the association’s activities and plans.
Representatives from the EU member state embassies in Kathmandu and New Delhi also participated in the orientation and answered various questions raised by the students.
Those present were Katharina Wieser, ambassador of Austria to India who is also accredited to Nepal; Dr. Gianluca Rubagotti, Italian consul general based in Calcutta; Stephane Russek, chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of Germany in Kathmandu; Sara Lages Range, attaché at the Embassy of Portugal in New Delhi; Eva Chmelikova, third secretary at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi and Bjarke Kofod Scheutz, political and economic counsellor at the Royal Danish Embassy in New Delhi.
With a budget of € 26.2 billion for a period of six years from 2021 to 2027, the European Union is the largest global donor in education with the Erasmus+ programme. To date, more than 700 Nepali students have benefitted from this scholarship. The Erasmus+ scholarships also provide opportunities for Europeans to undertake short-term studies and teaching in various universities of Nepal.