Posted on September 20, 2016

Two Moro youth coming from Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) finished a post-graduate program in Tokyo, a study grant sponsored by the Japanese government.

Morsidin Husain, a senior member of the United Youth for Peace and Development, and Anisa U. Matula from the Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, graduated last Wednesday (Sept 14) at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) together with 195 students from about 50 countries including 16 others from the Philippines.

The program which is under the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship by Japanese Grant Aid (JDS).

Husain and Matula both took the program Master in Public Policy with concentration on International Development Studies and International Relations respectively.

Husain related that the program was initially intended to government officials, however after the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed in 2013, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) changed the framework to accommodate more Bangsamoro applicants.

“JICA officials are asking why not many Moros are applying. Through Facebook, somehow, we are also trying to help in promoting the program,” Husain said.

Husain, a peace advocate, added, “We can only hope that this time there will be more applicants.”

Applicants coming from NGOs should seek endorsement from the Bangsamoro Transition Commission or Bangsamoro Development Agency.

Aside from Japan, other countries providing scholarship to the Bangsamoro youth are Turkey and Australia.

Some Moro youth are currently enrolled in universities in Turkey taking their respective bachelor’s degrees while more than fifty are taking master’s degree in partner universities in the country funded by the Australian government.

Author:  Gandhi Kinjiyo

Source: Luwaran (http://www.luwaran.net/home/index.php/news/76-international/883-two-moro-youth-finish-post-graduate-program-in-japan)