14 July, Bishkek – Today, National Office of Erasmus+ together with the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic held a pre-departure orientation meeting with the winners of the Erasmus+ scholarships. To note, ten citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic awarded with the scholarship and will travel to European Union countries to pursue their joint Master’s degree in 2022 within Erasmus+ programme, funded by the European Union.
Eduard Auer, Head of European Union Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic said the following in his welcoming speech:
«We are pleased to invest EU resources in education, with the expectation that higher benefits will accrue over time. In this context, education is deemed as investment that equips individuals with knowledge and skills that help improve their employability and productive capacities. I expect that planned discussions will be informative enabling you to learn some practical recommendations. The importance of this meeting is also to put you together to establish a networking and discuss the issues and communicate the views and knowledge.»
Erasmus+ programme scholarships cover tuition fee, medical insurance, accommodation and travel to the country of destination. Students are entitled to monthly allowance of 1000-1400 EUR depending on the programme to meet their basic needs during their education.
This year, out of the total number of scholarship holders, 40% chose “Information Science/ Engineering”, with second place being taken by “Social Sciences/ Humanities” (30%). About 20% of applicants will study the “Environmental / Geosciences” and 10% “IT”.
Among Kyrgyz universities, Ala-Too International University and the American University of Central Asia are leading (20% each) in the number of graduates who have received a scholarship. The list of scholarship holders list also includes graduates from the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, Kyrgyz State Technical University, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University and others.
According to the rules of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s program, a student must study in at least two countries of the Master’s program consortium. Great Britain, Poland, Portugal, Italy and Egypt will be the countries where our students will start their studies.
About Erasmus+:
Erasmus+ is the EU Programme in the fields of education, training, youth and sport for the period 2014-2020. This Programme builds on the achievements of more than 25 years of European programmes in the fields of education, training and youth, covering both an intra-European as well as an international cooperation dimension.
In 2015-2020, Erasmus Plus programme supported academic exchange and Master’s degree obtainment of 800 students and teachers from Kyrgyzstan, total budget of which amounted to 4,504,433 EUR.
About National Erasmus+ Office in Kyrgyzstan:
The National Erasmus+ Office (NEO) assists the Commission, the EACEA and the Kyrgyz Republic authorities concerned in the implementation of the Erasmus+ Programme. The NEO follows closely the policy developments in the country, particularly in the field of higher education but also at other levels of education, if required.
Besides the EU Delegation, the NEO is a focal point in the country for all actors, potential applicants, beneficiaries and other stakeholders as regards the EU cooperation activities in (higher) education under the Erasmus+ programme.
The mandate of the National Erasmus+ Offices under the Erasmus+ programme covers supporting, promotion and dissemination activities related to the Erasmus+ activities in higher education open to cooperation with partner countries.