Embassy opens up scholarships for Japanese studies, teaching

Every year, the Japanese government rolls out the Monbukagakusho Scholarship for bright and talented international students.

Since 1954, Japan’s Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has offered the scholarship to some 65,000 students from about 160 countries and regions around the world.

Most recently, the Japanese embassy in Kuala Lumpur opened applications for Malaysians to apply for scholarships for Japanese Studies and Teacher Training.

Each Japanese studies grantee will be given allowances of about JPY117,000 (US$1,038) while Teaching Training grantees would receive about JPY143,000 (US$1,269) allowance.

“Fees for examination entrance, matriculation, and tuition at universities will be exempted. A round-trip airplane ticket is also provided for the grantee,” the embassy said in a statement.

Tourists visit a famous shrine during autumn at Fushimi Inari, in Kyoto, Japan, in 2016. Source: Shutterstock.

According to The Sun, applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 29 as of Apr 1, 2018 (born between April 2, 1988, and April 1, 2000).

They must also be second or third-year undergraduate students majoring in Japanese language or Japanese culture in non-Japanese universities.

The embassy said application must reach the embassy by 4pm on Feb 13 before the application deadline.

For non-degree teacher training course, which stretches for a year and a half, applicants must be under 35 years old as of April 1, 2018 (born on or after Apr 2, 1983), and be graduates of universities or teacher training college who work as a teacher in either primary or secondary schools or academic staff at teacher training institutions with at least five years’ experience.

Those interested should deliver their applications to Malaysia’s Public Service Department before the deadline, while the interviews for the programmes would be held in early March 2018, the embassy said.

Among others, the Japanese government also hands out the full scholarship to eligible undergrads aged 17 to 22, covering five years of study in Japan, including a year of Japanese language training.

However, apart from a recommendation from the Japanese embassy, the scholarship recipients need to have straight As in high school.

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