Although much has changed since its inception in 1959, the central aims of CSFP remain very much intact. The Plan aims to provide a network of study opportunities throughout the Commonwealth. Although special emphasis is placed on the needs of developing nations, the scheme is intended as a genuine partnership, with opportunities and benefits for all member countries.

Awards under the scheme are not made by any central body. It is for each Commonwealth country to decide whether to offer awards in a particular year, which countries will be eligible to receive them and what precise selection criteria will operate. As the map shows, over twenty have made awards at some point during the scheme's history.


Historically, the majority of awards have been offered for postgraduate study - both doctorates and taught courses. There are, however, exceptions to this. Some countries - most notably the United Kingdom - offer Fellowships designed to provide established university staff in developing countries with an opportunity to update their skills. A small number of undergraduate awards have been made. Other recent innovations include the provision of distance learning awards by Canada, split-site study and Professional Fellowships by the United Kingdom. At their 2000 Conference, Commonwealth Education Ministers encouraged further diversity in the range of awards available.

The selection of candidates is a partnership between home and host country. When a country decides to offer awards, this is notified to those countries whose citizens will be eligible. It is then for those countries to advertise the awards, and to make the required number of nominations. These will then be sent to the host country, who will select the final recipients from nominations received. Often this will involve competition between the nominations of different countries.

The participation of each country is organised by a national nominating agency. Agencies are responsible for advertising awards applicable to their own country and making nominations to host countries. Applicants should apply to the nominating agency in their own country in the first instance. In most cases, the agency is part of - or appointed by - government agencies. In the case of some award categories, however, the functions are filled by other bodies, such as individual universities or their representative bodies. As a result of decisions taken at the 14th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in November 2000 it is likely that some countries will accept nominations from a wider range of sources in future years, whilst retaining existing agencies as the main channel. Further details will appear on individual country pages as announced.

HOW DID CSFP BEGIN?
From its inception, the CSFP has enjoyed the support of Commonwealth member governments at the highest level - a fact that has re-enforced its position as one of the world's most prestigious scholarship schemes.

The Plan was, in fact, very much devised at Ministerial level. Its formation is thought to date from an influential speech by Sidney Smith, a former President of the University of Toronto and later Canadian Minister of External Affairs, in September 1958, which called for better educational links between Commonwealth countries. This notion was developed further at the Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference, held later that year in Montreal, at which the first proposals for the Plan were formulated.

Final agreement of the Plan, however, was left to the first Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM), held in Oxford in 1959, which established the five key principles under which CSFP still operates today see below. As a result of this special connection, successive CCEM's have taken a special interest in the operation of CSFP, and have regularly reviewed its performance. The most recent review, at the 14th CCEM, November 2000, resulted in agreement to proposals to increase the number of awards, countries hosting them and diversity in the type of provision available.

The five General Principles of CSFP, laid down at the time of its formation, are as follows:
The Plan should be additional to, and distinct from, any other plan in operation.
The Plan should be based on mutual co-operation and the sharing of educational experience among the countries of the Commonwealth.
The Plan should be sufficiently flexible to take account of the diverse and changing needs of the countries of the Commonwealth.
While the Plan will be Commonwealth-wide, it is operated through a series of bi-lateral arrangements, to allow for the necessary flexibility.
Awards should be designed to recognise and promote the highest standards of intellectual achievement as well as technical and professional performance, and have regard to any expressed human resource or development needs of nominating countries.
Since that time, over 25,000 Commonwealth citizens have benefited from awards under the CSFP. Many of these have gone on to directly influence the lives of others, from senior positions in government, industry and the professions, or by working in positions vial to national development, such as the education, health or other key public services, or international agencies. The alumni section
http://www.csfp-online.org/alumni/
gives further examples, and provides an opportunity for former award holders to keep in touch.

The list of recipient countries also demonstrates that the scheme has also become a genuinely Commonwealth wide one. Countries hosting awards have inevitably been more concentrated, with the United Kingdom constantly keeping to its promise to support at least half of the total number of awards on offer. Whilst the number of awards held has reduced in recent years, the founders initial target of 1000 award holders in any year has normally meet met. It is hoped that, as a result of the ministers enthusiasm the scheme will now enter a further period of expansion.