Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
As the United Kingdom continues to wean itself off the European Union, the government on Friday launched a new scholarship programme for schools, colleges, and universities to replace the bloc’s Erasmus+ scheme as part of post-Brexit arrangements.
Named after English mathematician and World War II hero, Alan Turing, the £110 million ($153 million) programme will fund 35,000 global exchanges from September, including university study, school exchanges, and industry work placements.
Speaking on the initiative, the British Prime Minister, Mr Boris Johnson, said, “The Turing Scheme is a truly global programme with every country in the world eligible to partner with UK universities, schools and colleges.”
“It is also levelling up in action, as the scheme seeks to help students of all income groups from across the country experience fantastic education opportunities in any country they choose,” he added.
Under the new UK scholarship programme, students from disadvantaged areas will receive a maximum of £496 ($691) monthly which goes towards living costs, alongside money for travel costs and other forms of additional funding to offset the cost of passports, visas and insurance.
The UK government also claimed that unlike Erasmus+, which is focused only on members of the European bloc, the Turing scheme will be a worldwide programme and every country in the world will be eligible to partner with UK universities, schools and colleges.
The UK left the EU on January 31, 2020, triggering an 11-month transition period that gave both London and Brussels time to conclude a range of agreements, including a free trade deal.
During the negotiations of the post-Brexit relations, London refused to continue being part of the bloc’s Erasmus+ exchange program set up in 1987 and opted instead for setting a scheme of its own.
