Jica, Neda ink ¥264-M aid for human resource dev’t scholarship

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) along with the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) signed a ¥264-million Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) to help develop the Philippine human resource pool.

JDS, funded by the Japanese government through official development assistance, offers two-year masters courses in English to 20 young Filipino officials per year, mostly from government agencies.

Filipino scholars availing themselves of the JDS take studies with infrastructure and industry development, public policy, financial reforms and small and medium enterprise promotion among offered post-graduate courses.

Universities under the grant include the International University of Japan, International Christian University, Nagoya University, Kobe University and Meiji University, incidentally the institutions that had accommodated the most students as of July 2017.

“Through this program we aim to continue helping the Philippines sustain its economic development by also focusing the scholars’ field of studies on areas relevant to the socio-economic agenda of the Philippines,” Jica Chief Representative Susumu Ito said in a speech during the signing ceremony.

“Japan also hopes to learn from the Philippines’ development experience through this exchange of knowledge,” he added.

Socio-economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia meanwhile acknowledged the program’s role in developing the country’s human capital since it was first launched in 2002.

“Needless to say, the project has greatly contributed to the development and enhancement of the Philippine civil service, particularly those employees engaged in the formulation and implementation of the government’s social and economic development policies,” said the Neda director-general.

To date, 259 Filipinos have received the Japanese scholarship.

According to Jica data, government organizations with the biggest number of JDS recipients are Neda, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Department of Public Works and Highways, state universities and colleges under the Commission of Higher Education and the Department of Agriculture.

The Philippines is also among the top recipients of Japan’s scholarship project, together with China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos from all 14 countries that avail of the scholarship. Frances Josephine E. Espeso, trainee