COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIPS

That this House expresses great satisfaction that nearly 1,000 Commonwealth citizens will take-up Commonwealth Scholarships funded by the Government in the 2015-16 academic year; congratulates the young recipients on their success in gaining such awards; underlines the distinctive importance of the scheme for Commonwealth visibility and cohesion, for its central place in soft-power strategies for extending UK international influence and promoting democratic values and for the outstanding contribution that alumni make to economic and social advancement in developing countries; welcomes the promising start made by the new Endowment Fund providing Commonwealth Scholarships in low- and middle-income countries; and calls on the Government both to maintain its level of support for the plan in real terms and to promote it among the UK's partners when Commonwealth education ministers meet in the Bahamas in June 2015.