MENA Scholarship Program:
The MENA Scholarship program is initiated and fully funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The program aims to contribute to capacity building within organizations and institutions in the six selected countries: Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman and Syria. Moreover, a network of over 110 alumni positively contributes to the relations between the Netherlands and their respective countries.
The MENA Scholarship program’s targets groups are mid-career professionals who are employed by relevant organizations and institutions in one of the identified fields of study: Environmental Science, Business Administration and Management, Agriculture and Geographical Information Studies
Candidates must be nationals of and working in one of the designated countries. While scholarships are awarded to individuals, the need for training must be demonstrated in the context of the organization for which the applicant works. The training must help the organization to develop its capacity.
The program runs from January 2010 to December 2010. All courses will be conducted in 2010 and have a duration of between two and twelve weeks.
For more information please download:
Education in the Netherlands
Dutch people are living in a cosmopolitan atmosphere without losing their own identity. This is largely due to their education. A well-educated populace is the first requirement for maintaining a high level of prosperity.In The Netherlands, schooling is compulsory up to the age of 16. All education, from primary school all the way to postgraduate-level research institutes is financed by the government, which also keeps an eye on standards through the education ministry's inspectorate. It is not a state system, however. In no way does the government dictate which curricula or textbooks should be used, nor does it advocate any particular educational philosophy. It merely sets rules regarding the duration of studies and the achievement levels that must be reached. The result is that The Netherlands has a broad spectrum of educational institutions of high quality, each with its own character and in some cases its own philosophical background.
Many of the educational institutes offer international study-programmes and courses, most of them conducted in English. Annually more than 5000 foreign students enrol in the 600 international courses. The curricula are intensive, at an advanced level, practically oriented and designed to meet the high expectations of students seeking specialised knowledge. The courses alternate theory with practice in real or simulated situations.
Quality bears a price tag and for private students an international course in The Netherlands is a costly affair. Persons who can afford it however, will receive value for money. A full cost indication can not be given due to the wide variety of courses and their duration. The minimum cost of living (including accommodation, food, health insurance, transport and pocket money) as a foreign student in The Netherlands however is estimated at 1000 Euro per month. Without exaggeration it can be said that most people in Ethiopia are not able to afford expenses to this extend. Fortunately there are some opportunities for scholarships from various big international organisations e.g. Worldbank, EU, UNDP, WHO, FAO etc. For more information on international courses and possibilities of scholarship: 
www.studyin.nl
The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) also offer possibilities of scholarships or fellowships as they are called in NFP. Due to a change in policy on International Education by the Netherlands' government, NFP have been revised. In 2003 a number of important changes will go into effect to make the programmes more demand-oriented, more focused on international development and more flexible.
Netherlands Fellowship Programmes: Objectives and Target Group
NFP are financed from the Netherlands' government budget for Development Cooperation. The overall aim of NFP is to help alleviate qualitative and quantitative shortages of skilled manpower and to do so within the framework of sustainable capacity building directed towards reducing poverty in developing countries.More specifically, NFP is focused on meeting the need for further training and capacity building in a wide range of governmental, private and non-governmental organisations (educational institutions, planning agencies, ministries, community-based organisations, private enterprises etc.). The NFP target group consists of mid-career professionals who are already in employment and who have built-up at least 2 years of appropriate working experience. To be eligible for an NFP fellowship, candidates must be nominated by their employers.
The Netherlands Fellowship Programme offers the following options for professionals in developing countries:
- Fellowship for Masters Degree Programme
- Fellowship for Short Course
- Fellowship for PhD studies
- Tailor Made Training
- Refresher Course
More information on these programmes including the deadlines for the application can be found on the nuffic website.
Fact sheet
