9. What is the role of the British Council?

Tullow is partnering with the British Council – an internationally recognised service provider in the area of scholarship management and partnership brokerage in higher education around the world. The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations; with a strong profile in Africa the British Council has a great deal of experience in running educational programmes to support development goals and priorities. The British Council works in over 100 countries in the Arts, Education and English language. They exist as an independent and non-political organisation, with a global mission to connect people world-wide with learning opportunities and creative ideas from the UK.

The choice of a third party to administer the scholarships is to ensure independence and fairness, and the British Council has a track record of effective management of similar schemes. The British Council has over 40 years experience in scholarship management within the sub Saharan Africa region and globally, having administered schemes such as the Ford Foundation, the Commonwealth Plan and the prestigious Chevening Programme.

The British Council is the main point of contact for the Tullow Group Scholarship Scheme in each participating country. They will receive all applications, screen and interview candidates, place successful scholars on the appropriate courses and take care of all pre-departure issues including visas, flights etc. The British Council will also pay the monthly stipends and arrange return flights at the end of the Scholarship.