The Indian government has increased its provision of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scholarships for Fiji from last year.

This was highlighted by the Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Palaniswamy Karthigeyan, who stated that this is one of the largest bilateral capacity-building assistance programs that was launched in 1964 by the Government of India to ensure that its expertise and resources are utilized for the well-being of developing nations.

He added that every year more than 15,000 fully funded scholarships are given around the world, and he is happy that Fiji and other Pacific nations are able to benefit from India’s ITEC program.

The Indian High Commissioner to Fiji says the program offers courses that will equip working professionals with world-class expertise and experience that will be beneficial for the people and will contribute to the nation-building efforts of their countries.

“So every year now, there are 200 fully funded Government of India scholarships available to Fiji, and not just to the government officials in Fiji, but also the employees of the private sector, government sector, academics, chambers channels of commerce, anybody.”

Palaniswamy Karthigeyan adds that India believes human resources are important for every country; as a result, they have designed their development partnership cooperation fundamental principles of equality, mutual respect, freedom of choice.

Ministry of Civil Service Partnership Engagement Officer Zaman Khan says the training program has enhanced his knowledge and provided valuable insights that will contribute towards the advancement of the civil service system in Fiji.

“The three distinct goals were to better understand Industry 4.0 advancements, and how these technical innovations like cyber-physical system of things, IT computing, cloud computing, and machine learning could enhance our education systems in Fiji, to explore ways to integrate the 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and digital literacy in our training programs for civil servants.”

He adds that India’s ITEC program provides a platform for mutual learning and development, helping Fiji leverage Indian expertise to address its own developmental needs and aspirations.