Departure of the French Government scholarship holders 2020

This year the Embassy of France in South Africa expanded its scholarship programme for South-African students.

After a rigorous selection process that started in March 2020, 37 laureates will complete their studies in various higher education institutions in France: in Paris, Nice, Montpellier, Toulouse, Brest, Grenoble and Strasbourg.

The group includes 16 students in the first year of their Masters, 14 students in the second year of their Masters and 7 PhD candidates. Their fields of study cover a wide range of disciplines: social and political sciences, agriculture, food science, physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, health sciences and biology, ecology and marine sciences, archaeology, economics, urban management and arts and film-making.

The French Embassy, through a partnership with the Department of Higher Education and Training, is supporting five laureates of the Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme (NESP).

In preparation for their departure, the newly selected students got to know each other through online intensive French language lessons provided by the Alliance Française of Johannesburg. They also, through several virtual meetings, learned about France from Atout France and Campus France South Africa who provided the students with practical and useful information regarding several aspects of their new welcoming country and the French art de vivre and culture.

Twenty scholarship holders travelled on a special Air France flight from South Africa to France on 30 August and arrived safely at their respective destinations. All of these students have now arrived at their new homes and are ready to start the new academic year in the upcoming days.

In the context of the Covid-19 health crisis, the South African scholarship holders will follow the necessary regulations and social distancing set by the higher education institutions in order to benefit from their studies and fulfil their objectives while keeping healthy and safe at all times.

During these challenging times caused by the health crisis, France continues to welcome international students while taking all necessary measures for everyone to continue to achieve their objectives in healthy and safe conditions. Despite the lockdown since March, and all the resulting uncertainties regarding international mobility and travelling, the Embassy of France made the necessary efforts to continue and even expand the scholarship programme for this year.

We wish the scholarship holders all the best, that they benefit from their experience in France and that they fulfil their dreams.

Bienvenue en France !