Attending the Pacific Islands Forum in Vanuatu, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has announced that the number of scholarships his country offers to Pacific islanders will double from 100 to 200 places.

The expanded scholarship scheme is intended to boost the development of leadership skills and provide young Pacific islanders with the advanced education and skills necessary to support their home countries, which have suffered an apparent “brain drain” over recent years, as well-educated young people emigrate.

To combat this, the scheme will involve a combination of full scholarships and student loans; if graduates return to their home countries to put their new-found skills to work, they could see their loans written off.

Commenting on the scheme, Mr. Key said: “An educated and highly-skilled Pacific population is vital to future leadership in the region, and critical for economic and social development.”

“This will boost our education investment to $15 million per year. I believe this is a key building block for the future success of the region.”

“We thought it would be a good way for New Zealand to show its leadership by continuing to open our doors to our tertiary education facilities. An additional 100 is going to be important …”

The funding for the programme is being made available through NZAID, the agency within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade that manages New Zealand’s official development assistance programme and provides policy advice on international development issues. For information on the scholarships, visit the NZAID website here.