Ten Jardine-HKU scholars attended the first scholarship presentation ceremony in September 2022, alongside Jardines leadership, (far left) Jonathan Lloyd, Group Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability; (second from left) YK Pang, Deputy Managing Director and Chairman of Hong Kong; (second from right) Ben Keswick, Executive Chairman.
Jardine Foundation (the “Foundation”), an educational trust founded in 1982 by the Jardine Matheson Group (“Jardines” or “the Group”), is proud to announce the establishment of two new undergraduate scholarship schemes, in partnership with Universitas Gadjah Mada (“UGM”) in Indonesia and the University of Hong Kong (“HKU”) . The new schemes are focused on supporting access to higher education by students from less affluent backgrounds in Indonesia and Hong Kong, reflecting the Group’s commitment to improving livelihoods in the communities where it operates.
The launch of the new schemes takes place as the Foundation celebrates 40 years of promoting education, with the goal of developing future leaders who aspire to give back to their communities. Since 1982, over 400 outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate students from across the Group’s markets have been supported under the Foundation’s existing scholarship scheme in partnership with Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
The establishment of the two new Asian schemes represents a broadening of the Group’s focus on education as part of its sustainability strategy. Scholarships under the new schemes are open to undergraduate students pursuing degrees of any discipline and will cover both annual tuition fees and living expenses. Initially up to ten scholars per year will receive awards under each scheme. Scholars will be chosen based on academic ability, leadership potential, commitment towards their communities and financial need. The first awards have now been made by UGM and HKU for the 2022-23 academic year.
Ben Keswick, Executive Chairman of Jardine Matheson said: “Jardines has a long history of supporting our communities across the region. We are committed to improving access to education as a key means of improving livelihoods.
Over the past 40 years, Jardine Foundation has provided opportunities for students from across our Asian markets to study at top UK universities, and has also built a strong network of alumni across the region. These two new schemes allow us to expand our educational focus to support access to the best Asian universities by local students whose financial position would otherwise prevent them from pursuing further education.
I am delighted that we are partnering with Universitas Gadjah Mada and the University of Hong Kong, both of which are top universities in their markets, and I look forward to both schemes going from strength to strength in the coming years.”
Ash Lo, a 2022 Jardine-HKU scholar, said: “The Jardine Foundation Scholarship has given me the opportunity to further my higher education without putting financial burden on my family. Coming from an underprivileged family, I have experienced how the housing situation in Hong Kong can affect a child’s education and I know how hard it is to break cross-generational poverty. I hope that my university education will allow me to help more people, especially children in similar circumstances to myself, and inspire others to do the same.”
