As the Lib-Con coalition government unveiled its austerity budget cuts last week, at least one group of international citizens must have been following its details as keenly as the British. These are the applicants for Chevening scholarships, whose hopes for receiving education in Britain are now in limbo as the government reviews its expenses.
First started in 1983, the Chevening programme is touted by the UK government as a prestigious international scholarship scheme that fully or partly funds some 1,000 individuals from over 130 countries to pursue postgraduate studies in British universities every year.
In May, the Foreign Office – which administers the scheme – announced that it was reviewing the scholarships programme as part of its planned £55m budget savings in line with the new government's directive to trim expenditure by £6bn across the public sector.
For current applicants, the next few days will be crucial. A statement on the Chevening website says existing offers cannot be confirmed until the end of this month or early next month. "We do understand the frustration that this will cause but ask those affected to be patient."
Some of these people are likely to have turned down job offers and other funding opportunities after being offered a scholarship while the Labour government was still at the helm.
Little wonder, then, that a group of Chevening alumni and hopefuls have banded together to lobby for the programme's continuation, taking their campaign to Facebook by forming the Save Chevening group.
As a former recipient who can vouch for its worth first-hand, I find the Chevening's possible death of a lamentable, even grim, prospect.
On a personal level, the scheme had changed my life. It accorded me the opportunity to pursue a credible overseas education that would have otherwise been closed off to someone with limited financial resources. I have met fellow cash-strapped scholars who would attest likewise.
Yet Chevening is more than just a developmental aid programme; it is above all Britain's best attempt at solving transnational issues.
For one thing, the Chevening scheme can help plug knowledge gaps in other countries. In my case, the disciplines I chose to pursue – comparative literature and translation studies – were not offered at Singapore universities during my candidacy. Today, comparative literature still remains elusive. While reading these subjects at the University of Edinburgh, I met two south-east Asian scholars who were pursuing environment-related programmes that were not taught at their respective home countries. In a densely forested region struggling to cope with issues of climate change, their choice is naturally apt.
It is also significant that the Foreign Office is willing to sponsor individuals undertaking intellectual pursuits in unconventional fields like comparative literature. Our pursuit of alternative ideas helps us to inject fresh perspectives into existing problems in our non-British contexts.
That process for me began sooner rather than later when a Singapore newspaper published my article urging local policymakers to study Scotland's strategy of celebrating its diaspora. In our quest to retain talents, Singapore's thrust has been to bemoan our lost sons and daughters, and the Scottish example suggested an alternative approach.
For Britain, the Chevening programme offers its people a chance to engage with the brightest in emerging countries in a way that is not condescending. This is especially significant in advancing its relations with former colonies like Singapore and India where Britain is vulnerable to accusations of re-colonisation given its imperial past.
If I could factor in my personal – albeit small – contribution, then this could be exemplified in the way my collaboration with other non-western coursemates at the University of Edinburgh led the comparative literature department to introduce modules on postcolonial and world literature in a programme that until then was largely Eurocentric.
By ensuring that the British people remain in the thick of innovative developments worldwide, the Chevening scheme is an important nation-building tool that also benefits Britain. In fact, in many countries it has become as much a symbol of Britain as the Queen. Long live Chevening.