Two Seychellois benefit from Chevening scholarships |16 September 2014

Like every year the British High Commission in Seychelles gives away two scholarships to the most prominent candidates under the Chevening Scholarship programme.

Khalyaan Karunakaran and Ralph Vel are the two candidates who have been chosen this year to study in universities in the United Kingdom.

The two scholars received their air tickets last Friday from British High Commissioner Lindsay Skoll in a small presentation at the British High Commission’s office.

Speaking to the media, Mrs Skoll said: “In the two years I have been here in Seychelles I have been really thrilled with both the quantity and the quality of applications that we’ve had for Chevening. I have already seen six scholars back who are already making a difference which is what Chevening is all about. It is not only about the individual getting a chance to get a Master’s degree, but it is about the individual going back to their country and making a change from the knowledge and experience they have acquired from their scholarship.”

Mr Karunakaran who will be studying for an LLM Cyberlaw: Information Technology, Law and Society, at the University of Leeds, is the first person in Seychelles to follow such a course. He is employed as a state counsel in the Attorney General’s office.

“I have always been interested in technology and as a lawyer I have been able to identify various places where there is a lack of regulations or there is no framework that is able to control such things as electronic crime or how electronic crimes are handled. And I feel that this is the reason why banks and certain businesses are reluctant to provide online services,” said Mr Karunakaran.

Ralph Vel, the principal energy legislation officer at the Seychelles Energy Commission, is going for his Master’s in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

“Seychelles is moving towards renewable energy and to know the right way to connect the renewable energy on the grid we need the right expertise. And I hope with this scholarship I can attain the right knowledge to help the fledging Seychelles Energy Commission; inform decision makers and drive policy; balance Seychelles’ growing electricity demand with depleting fossil fuel reserves; and lead the introduction of appropriate renewable technologies,” Mr Vel said.

Congratulating the scholars, Mrs Skoll took the opportunity to announce that the Chevening Scholarships for 2015 -2016 are now open for applications.

“What I am delighted about is that the calibre of Seychellois candidates has been so good on the programme that London has taken a decision to increase the number of scholarships that will be available for next year.”

The British High Commission is inviting talented Seychellois who want to study in the UK to apply the UK’s Chevening Scholarships Programme for the academic year 2015-2016.

Chevening Scholarships are a prestigious global scheme, targeted at future leaders, influencers and decision makers, allowing them to study at world-class universities in the UK. The scholarships, which are funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), operate in over 100 countries worldwide. Awards are typically for one year Master’s degree, in any subject and at any UK university. The applications will close on November 15, 2014.

Visit https://www.chevening.org/apply to learn more about the application process and take the first step towards studying for your Master’s degree in the UK.