A similar event was held at Cumberland Lodge in May 2007 which resulted in the first three phases of the CSC Evaluation Programme. As the CSC moves into a new stage of activity, the aim of the 2012 event was to strengthen its relationships with similar programmes and funding bodies, and also to generate mutually useful discussions on the best way to tackle impact evaluation in scholarship programmes.

The core objectives of the seminar were to:

• share knowledge and experience relating to existing impact evaluations of scholarship and fellowship programmes
• discuss issues arising from the challenges of evaluating scholarship programmes and similar capacity building programmes, and identify potential benchmark indicators for future comparisons
• learn more about the various evaluation methodologies that can be used by such programmes and identify those which are the most appropriate
• explore the possibility of establishing a forum of like-minded professionals that allows for future collaboration between different organisations, so that best practice and experiences can continue to be shared

Programme

Participant list

Many participants also attended a complementary event, Measuring Impact of Higher Education for Development – organised by the London International Development Centre (LIDC), in partnership with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), and held on 19-20 March 2012 at Birkbeck College, University of London. The conference looked at the broader picture of higher education and development impact.

For further information, please contact evaluation@cscuk.org.uk

Commonwealth Scholars from the Wales Regional Network with other international scholars at Cardiff

A scholastic evening of celebration and success was hosted by Cardiff University at the Aberdare Hall on Wednesday 25 April 2012. Scholars representing 52 countries from across the globe, together with their sponsors, were in attendance.

The event, organised by Cardiff University’s International Office, provided scholarship sponsors and recipients with the opportunity to share their experiences of scholarship selection and application processes. The International Scholars’ Evening was also a forum in which students were able to thank their sponsors, form linkages, and build networks.

Each year, a number of students take up Commonwealth Scholarships tenable at different universities in Wales. In the 2011/2012 academic year, the majority were placed at Cardiff University. Cardiff is a member of the Russell Group of UK research-led universities, and has a reputation of offering teaching and training that is innovative and leading-edge.

Professor Jonathan Osmond, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students, gave the opening remarks, after being introduced by Dr Sandra Elliot, Director of Communications and International Relations. This was followed by the sponsors’ perspective, presented by a representative from the Malaysian High Commission, and the scholars’ perspective, presented by Dacia Leslie, a Commonwealth Scholar from Jamaica.

Dacia Leslie, a one-time ‘scholarship hopeful’, is now a first-year PhD student in Criminology at the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff. Dacia, who attributes her ‘scholarship win’ to a ‘divine intervention’, acknowledged the work of the CSC – in particular the Chair, Professor Tim Unwin – in ensuring that she was ‘planted in the right soil’.

‘As a Commonwealth Scholar and a proud Jamaican, I know too well that the Commonwealth is not just about governments or cooperation; it is more than that. The Commonwealth is also a “state of mind”. Therefore, if I had one word of encouragement for my fellow scholars, it would be this: Go out and impact the world, by changing one life at a time; always remembering who you are, and where you came from; but never dwelling on the past, lest you miss future opportunities. And that for me is the key to success.’

Dacia also acknowledged Dr Kirsty Hudson, Lecturer at the School of Social Sciences, Andrew Pithouse, Professor at the School of Social Sciences, and Terri Delahunty, Head of the Graduate Centre, all at Cardiff University.

(l-r) Dacia Leslie (Commonwealth Scholar from Jamaica), Professor Jonathan Osmond (Pro Vice Chancellor for Education and Students, Cardiff University), Josephine Murangira (Commonwealth Scholar from Rwanda), Idesi Temwa Chilinda (Commonwealth Scholar from Malawi), and Sawlat Zaman (Commonwealth Scholar from Bangladesh)

This report examines the impact that Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships can have on individuals and on higher education institutions, and the impact that these individuals and institutions can then have on economic and social development. It reports on the targeted awards offered to academic staff and students, before moving on to assess the impact of alumni working in higher education who responded to a 2008 impact evaluation survey. Finally, the report narrows its focus to take a closer look at Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships in the context of three specific HEIs: Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, and the University of the West Indies in the Caribbean.

• Executive summary
• Full report
• Appendices 2-4

Professor Tim Unwin, Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission met with alumni during a conference in Gaborone, Botswana on 6 March.

Dr John Kirkland, Executive Secretary of the Commission, hosted an informal event for alumni during a visit to Mauritius on 6 March. Members of the Mauritius chapter discussed plans for alumni involvement in the forthcoming Conference for Commonwealth Education Ministers in Mauritius during August.

 Alumni who wish to join chapters in either Kenya or Mauritius can find contact information in the Alumni section

James’ dissertation, submitted for his DPhil in African Politics at the University of Oxford, is titled ‘Voter Turnout in Sub-Saharan Africa’. The prize judges commented that ‘it was ambitious and wide-ranging, had a strong comparative element, [and] looked at representation issues in a corner of the world which is seriously neglected by the elections and representation literature’.

James has been invited to receive his prize at the Political Studies Association’s Annual Conference Dinner in Belfast in April.

The round table, which was convened as part of the Select Committee’s inquiry into science and international development, gave the MPs a chance to meet scientists from a range of developing countries and explore the challenges they face. It followed written evidence submitted to the inquiry by the CSC, and oral evidence given by Dr John Kirkland, Executive Secretary (and Deputy Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities).

The round table was held at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and was attended by 13 Commonwealth Scholars studying PhDs, Split-site Scholars, and Academic Fellows. Select Committee members who attended included Andrew Miller MP (Chair), Gareth Johnson MP, Stephen Mosley MP, Stephen Metcalfe MP, and Pamela Nash MP.

I am a line manager responsible for rehabilitation and advocacy programmes in my organisation. All the training and experiences I have accessed through my Fellowship fall within the circle of project management, which was my expectation. I will mainstream the skills I have acquired within the programme that I manage, and share the skills I have learnt with my peer managers within my organisation and through the local network and consortium. I trust that this effort will impact positively on the social, economic and political development of people from my local region.

I work to promote and protect human dignity and sustainable development for less privileged people by engaging government improve policies, structures and services.

During my Fellowship at CLES, I have developed an increased knowledge and understanding of decentralisation and localism. I am now increasingly aware of the real devolution of power and that, for real benefits, there must be more local control. It is not effective to have a district level of power, with a separate administrative organisation, which looks to the national centre for direction. Now I am a lobbyist for the devolution of power.

My remit back home relates to developing GSPD, managing staff and projects, and advocating to improve the life chances of disabled people.

The fellowship has enhanced my project management skills. I have new insights into advocacy and institutional building – consultations, campaigns, resource mobilisation, and change management. The ‘outcomes approach’ developed by the Big Lottery for charities is a methodology I am taking home  and I look forward to  a partnership with my host organisation following my overtures.

Charles Appiagyei (right) at the Council of Disabled People

During my Fellowship, I learnt about the UK corridors of power through BOND training, met MPs through the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Education and Disability, and learnt how UK NGOs and CSOs deal with their government on issues affecting taxpayers and low income countries.I am impressed by the leadership at Results UK; there is no visible hierarchy and it was fascinating to see the Executive Director offering help – with technology, screwing in bolts, bringing in cookies for staff, washing dishes in the kitchen – and the cooperation of  staff. I learnt how to blog and made new friends at the Global Partnership for Education Replenishment event and the CSC Welcome Programme.