Japan-WCO Human Resource Development Scholarship in Japan, 2014-2015

Each year, WCO offers Japan-WCO scholarship for developing countries. This scholarship is awarded to young Customs managers for pursuing Master’s Degree programme in Strategic Management and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) programme at the Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) in Tokyo, Japan. This scholarship covers travel, subsistence, admission, tuition and other approved expenses. 
About Scholarship: The Japan-WCO Human Resource Development Programme (Scholarship Programme) provides a grant covering travel, subsistence, admission, tuition and other approved expenses to enable promising young Customs managers from developing countries to undertake Master’s level studies at the Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) in Tokyo, Japan. 
Study: Scholarships holders under this programme will enroll for the Master’s Degree programme in Strategic Management and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) programme at the AGU.
Course Level: Master’s level studies at the Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) in Tokyo, Japan.
Scholarship by: Japan-WCO Human Resource Development Programme (Scholarship Programme), funded by Japan Customs
Location: Japan 
Eligibility:
-The candidates should be in good health, preferably below 40 years of age as of1 April 2014.
-The candidates should be customs officers fully proficient in English. (a minimum TOEFL score of internet Based Test (iBT) 79 / Computer- Based Test (CBT) 213/Paper Based Test (PBT) 550, IELTS 6.0, or its equivalent qualification to prove their language proficiency). They should have a university degree or equivalent qualification.
-The candidates should have at least 3 years of work experience in Customs and should have assessed potential for advancement.
-Individuals who have already been awarded a scholarship under the Japan-WCO Human Resource Development Programme in the past will not be entitled to apply for this Scholarship programme. 
Scholarship Open for: Citizens of developing countries (Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African, Republic Chad, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea?Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,  Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint- Vincent and the Grenadines, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe) can apply for this scholarship.
Duration: This scholarship is for one academic year starting from April. There will be a preparatory course in March 2014 for a few weeks before the start of the Programme. The Scholarship period cannot be extended.
Value: An all-inclusive allowance of147, 000 Japanese yen per month will be granted to cover the cost of accommodation, meals and incidental expenses for the study period. The amount of the allowance is subject to change according to the decision of the Japanese Government. (The allowance will be paid in Japanese yen.)
-The Scholars will be offered assistance by the AGU to find residential accommodation at a reasonable rent.
- The cost of travel (return trip) between the Scholar’s place of residence and Tokyo will be borne by the Programme budget. For this purpose, an economy class pre-paid air ticket by the most direct route will be arranged by the AGU through a local travel or airline office or by courier in the country of the selected candidate.
-Admission and tuition fees are paid by the Japan-WCO Human Resource Development Scholarship Program. 
Selection Criteria: The IPS is open to highly qualified, dedicated, and open-minded and politically interested young men and women who have the will to shape the democratic future of their country actively and responsibly. The scholarship recipients are selected by an independent selection committee of the German Bundestag with the participation of universities in Berlin due to technical, social, linguistic and intercultural competences.
Apply: The AGU requests online registration for admissions for the 2014-2015 Scholarship Programme. ID and Password to download the application forms will be obtained by submitting the Registration Form on the Website by 22 August 2013. The original set of Application Forms with all supporting materials should be completed and returned by post with the envelope marked, “Application for the WCO Scholarship”. 
Deadline: Application deadline is 22 August 2013 for getting an ID and password and last date for receipt of the Application Forms is 29 August 2013. 
Further Information: http://www.cbec.gov.in/deptt_offcr/Administrative%20provisions%20%20%281%29.pdf