Lifechanging scholarships announced at Leicester
The University has announced the names of its 2016 Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholars. These students have been awarded Scholarships by the the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK to allow them to pursue a Master’s course while living in their home countries.
Pamela Komujuni Kalule from Uganda, Krishna Mohan Clarke from from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Azukaego Nwando Nnaji from Nigeria, Daniel Howell Mendez from Belize, Sangeeta Pal from India, and Yovanie Poinen from Mauritius have all been selected to pursue the MSc in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management (RCDM) by distance learning at the Civil Safety and Security Unit.
The six Scholars beat off competition from over 150 applicants and were welcomed on campus by our President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Boyle on Monday 26 September whilst attending their first Study School visit.
The MSc in RCDM is a specialised course suitable for professionals, practitioners and the like. The course bridges the traditional division between the management of technological, social and natural hazards by combining risk, communication, vulnerability and development theories.
Krishna Clarke, an Enterprise Risk Management Assistant for the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) based in Barbados, said: “Being from a financial risk background, and working in a development institution, it is most exciting to complement my knowledge with a degree that can assist tremendously in the work that I do.
“The Caribbean has been struggling with development for many years. This is further inhibited by the frequency of natural disasters or other crisis throughout the years. These events have caused losses of up to, and over 100% of GDP. It is my goal to become an expert in not only financial risk, but all types of risk including disaster risk, so that I may one day effectively be able to advise leaders or policy makers within the Region. It is this extra incentive of helping the Caribbean Region that drives my ambitions, and I hope to one day see our Region be at the forefront of innovation and diversity.”
Yovanie Poinen, an Environment Officer at the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development, and Disaster and Beach Management in Mauritius, said: “This course will help in developing an in-depth knowledge of crisis management. The knowledge acquired will help me in my goal to provide expert input to improve the ability of the newly set National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Centre of Mauritius in fulfilling its mandate especially during crisis time and when updating the National Disaster Scheme for Mauritius.”
Each Scholarship covers course fees, course materials, three visits to attend Study Schools at Leicester and a laptop.
- The University of Leicester adopts a student-centred approach in everything it does and is committed to widening participation; welcoming students from all backgrounds to fulfil their potential at Leicester.