THE IDB MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME

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THE IDB MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME GUIDANCE AND
COUNSELLING SESSION University of Nottingham
United Kingdom Tuesday 1st of April 2008
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Roadmap

• Importance and benefits
• Personal level
• National level
• International level
• Problems
• and solutions?
• Ideas
• Concluding remark

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Importance Benefits
At the personal level how will it help us excel?

• Allow young scientists to pursue their research
  interests
• Interaction with prominent figures in science
  and technology
• Interaction ? personal development
• Enhance leadership qualities

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Importance Benefits
At society level how can we make our countries
excel?

• Our countries lack the adequately-trained
  manpower
• ? But the skills we acquire are transferable
• Build educated population ? better
  decision-making
• Hence
• Better health, education and economic systems
• Develop universities back home

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Importance Benefits
International level can we have a world-wide
impact?

• Big challenge- reflecting a true image of Islam
• Peace through balanced views amidst world
  conflicts
• Tolerance through personal qualities
• Co-existence through friendships, links and
  interaction with different cultures

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Problems (and solutions!)
1)

• Allowances are insufficient
• Weak US Dollar
• Living costs vary from one country to another
• Tuition fees go up due to inflation
• Suggestion Set up Advisory Committee involving
  scholars to review living expenses annually.
• No family allowance for 3rd child (hence no
  visa!)
• No funding for data collection outside the
  country of study
• Suggestion Increase conference allowances to
  include data collection whenever applicable.

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Problems (continued)
2) The writing-up year!

• Science-based PhD
• 1st year Honey moon!
• 2nd year Switch on that diesel engine! Gather
  data!
• 3rd year Analyse your results
• Then what?
• Need 6-12 months to write-up your PhD thesis
• This is the norm
• Usually, no tuition fees required during
  write-up (only registration fees and living
  expenses).

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Problems (continued)
3) Oh, no! Not another form to fill..!

• Everyone agrees it is necessary. However, it
  deviates from its purpose if its over-done ?
  time-consuming, inefficient.
• No need to double-monitor the scholar. Progress
  is already closely watched by her/his university!
• From the start of application process to end of
  studies...
• Suggestion Reform the application process and
  the feed-back forms based on the advice of
  previous scholars.

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Final Problems Slide (I promise!)
4) miscellaneous

• Helpful to visit home country once a year ?
  refreshes the mind and eases stress!
• Suggestion Consider cases on individual basis.
• Difficulty in getting university admission that
  meets IDB criteria
• Suggestion Compile FAQ list for applicants based
  on previous scholars advice.

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Ideas and Initiatives

• Interactive forums e.g. IDB Scholars Research
  Group
• See Moazur Rahman for details of the idea!
• Current/Past scholars suggest to prospective
  scholars world-class scientific projects in their
  home countries
• ? They can get involved in such projects
• Discussion sessions to produce ideas on
  promoting cohesion and understanding between
  Muslim communities and their host countries in
  Europe.

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. Malek Shah, Prof. Wagdy Sawahel, Shaharuqul
  Huq
• Wan Mahmood Wan Ashraf Abdallah
• Rania Baleela
• IDB Scholars
• Our beloved IDB!
• Our universities and supervisors!

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Final Words

Realism Innovation Success (with style!)
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Thank you for your attention!