First Recipients of ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarships Announced: Boosting Gender Equality in STEM

Launched earlier this year, this new scholarship scheme aims to address gender disparities in access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers across ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste.

After a highly competitive selection process which saw hundreds of students from across all ten ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste apply, the UK is delighted to recognise 10 outstanding women as our first successful scholars. These talented individuals share a passion and vision to make a difference through STEM, a field where women are traditionally underrepresented. Women account for only 29.2% of the STEM workforce globally, despite representing almost half of the non-STEM employment sector (World Economic Forum).

Each recipient will receive a fully funded opportunity to complete a master's degree at one of two prestigious Universities in the UK: the University of Warwick and Imperial College London. They will be travelling to the UK to take up their studies from September 2024. We hope that these scholars will go on to have successful careers in STEM, and to become inspirational role models to other women, as advocates and leaders in their field.

Scholarship Recipients (2024)

The first recipients of ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarship recipients are:

• Chou I, Heng (Cambodia) – MSc Analytical Sciences and Instrumentation, University of Warwick
• Alvi, Nava (Indonesia) – MSc Environmental Technology, Imperial College London
• Ng, Charlene (Malaysia) – MSc Computer Science, University of Warwick
• Thet, Win Nandar (Myanmar) – MSc Humanitarian Engineering with Sustainability, University of Warwick
• Onglao, Maria Andrea Kristina (the Philippines) – MSc Environmental Data Science and Machine Learning, Imperial College London
• Mohd Rafiq, Nafisah (Singapore) – MSc Environmental Technology, Imperial College London
• Yoswaris, Punnapa (Thailand) – MSc Climate Change, Management and Finance, Imperial College London
• Lam, Ngoc Ngan (Vietnam) – MSc Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research, University of Warwick
• Nguyen, Ha Phuong Thao (Vietnam) – MSc Engineering Business Management, University of Warwick
• Guterres de Sa Benevides, Dirce Maria Jose (Timor-Leste) – MSc Engineering Business Management, University of Warwick

These outstanding scholars were selected from a pool of high calibre applicants, based on their academic achievements, leadership potential, and dedication to make significant contributions to the STEM field.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme is the UK's flagship education programme in ASEAN, aiming to improve foundational learning outcomes in basic literacy and numeracy, support girls and marginalised groups to access education, and to break down gender barriers to digital skills and employment, thus empowering young women to flourish to their full potential.

The scholarships have been developed by the British Council and are funded by the UK Government through the ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme.

Secretary-General of ASEAN, H. E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn said:

"This scholarship programme underscores the UK and ASEAN's shared commitment to gender equality and female empowerment in STEM. By supporting girls and marginalised communities in accessing education and improving foundational learning, we aim to bridge the gender gap and foster a more inclusive and innovative future. ASEAN is pleased with the positive outcomes from the ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme, which aims to enhance collaboration and mutual benefits between the regions."

Ambassador of the UK to ASEAN, H. E. Sarah Tiffin said:

"As an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, the UK is committed to advancing girls' education across ASEAN region through the SAGE programme, ensuring equitable access to quality education for all girls. We are excited to offer this great opportunity to our new scholars. Their talent and dedication is inspirational, and we look forward to seeing how they will shape the future of STEM in ASEAN after studying at the UK's world-class universities."

Summer Xia, Director Southeast Asia, British Council said:

"We are immensely proud of these women and their accomplishments. As the lead implementation partner of the ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme, the British Council is honoured to support the educational journey of these outstanding scholars. We believe their success stories and future contribution will be invaluable to the advancement of STEM disciplines and inspire many more women and girls to follow in their footsteps."

ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarships were open to women from all ASEAN Member States (AMS); Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam, as well as Timor-Leste.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarships contribute to furthering the goals set out in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (4, 10 and 17), and ASEAN-UK Plan of Action 2022–2026 particularly in strengthening engagement between UK and ASEAN education institutions, staff, and students through scholarship initiatives.

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For more information on the ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarships, please visit: https://www.britishcouncil.id/en/programmes/education/sage

For further information on the ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarships, please contact:

UniPrayuti.Prayuti@britishcouncil.org

Panisara.Paireepinath@britishcouncil.org

Note for editors: background info on ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme

The ASEAN-UK Supporting the Advancement of Girls' Education Programme or ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme is a five-year UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funded programme for ASEAN and Timor-Leste running between 2023 and 2028 with funding up to GBP 30 million.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme was officially announced in May 2023 at the Education World Forum (EWF) in London.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme supports better education outcomes for women and girls and marginalised groups. It supports delivery of the ASEAN Work Plan on Education 2021 – 2025, the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan IV 2021 – 2025, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint. The Programme also supports action lines under the 2016 ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Education for Out-of-School Children and Youth.

Specifically, ASEAN-UK SAGE aims to provide evidence-based technical input that enables key players in the region including the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), and ASEAN Member States (AMS) to develop effective policies and programmes that improve foundational learning for all and tackle exclusion and constraints limiting the achievement of girls and marginalised groups.

The programme is delivered through the following workstreams/pillars:

* Foundational learning crisis, post pandemic

* Out-of-school girls and marginalised groups

* Gender barriers to digital skills and employment

The integration of education technology cuts across all three pillars.

Activities under the Programme include technical assistance; project-type interventions; research, evidence, and data; and advocacy.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE Programme is co-led and delivered by British Council (www.britishcouncil.org) and SEAMEO Secretariat (www.seameo.org) in partnership with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) (www.acer.org) and EdTech Hub (www.edtechhub.org).

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