Pretoria, South Africa - 11 December 2013
The Government of Canada is committed to honouring the legacy of Nelson Mandela and his tireless pursuit of peace, democracy, justice and freedom through learning, understanding and education. To this end, on December 11, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the creation of new graduate scholarships in honour of Nelson Mandela, which will recognize a number of gifted Canadian graduate students and help them study subjects that marked the South African leader's life.
A total of up to 20 scholarships will be awarded as part of the annual Canada Graduate Scholarship competition. Up to 10 master's scholarships and up to 10 doctoral scholarships will be awarded for the first time in 2015, following the 2014 competition.
The scholarships, which will be administered through the granting councils, will be open to Canadians pursuing master's or doctoral-level degrees in social sciences and humanities at Canadian universities, and whose research will be focused on at least one of four themes: national unity; democracy, freedom and human rights; leadership; and children's participation in society.
Scholarships at the master's level will provide $17,500 for one year, while those at the doctoral level will provide $35,000 annually for three years.
