The Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellowship (SAJP) online application window is now open for the 2022-23 cohort.

According to the British High Commission, the fellowship targets mid-career journalists from South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives who are passionate about increasing their knowledge, network, and potential through tailored short courses, research, or professional placements at UK institutions.

The scheme is hosted by the University of Westminster and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office. Only online applications will be accepted by October 12, 2022. Interested journalists can find all the information about eligibility, timelines, and the online application system on the website.

Seven journalists from Pakistan will be selected to undertake a bespoke fellowship titled ‘Good Governance in a Changing World: the Media, Politics and Society’. 

They will participate in eight intensive weeks of lectures, visits, and discussions that introduce them to key UK academics, media, and political figures in the field, meet their peers in some of the UK’s top media organisations, as well as run a symposium on a topic of their choice in the final week. Fellows of the scheme will also be invited to participate in exclusive networking events and talks.

On graduating, fellows will join over 50,000 other Chevening Alumni who together form an influential and highly regarded global network. The British High Commission said it supported women and minorities and that in the last two years 58 per cent of journalists chosen for the SAJP programme in Pakistan were women.

It added that it strongly encouraged women journalists to apply for the scheme.

According to it, this year is historic as it marks 75 years of UK-Pakistan relations. To mark the anniversary, a second phase of the Chevening Mentoring scheme will be launched later this year to support women and minorities in the journalism profession. 

The first phase was launched earlier this year with 50% of mentors being female Chevening journalists. The British High Commission will continue to celebrate 75 years of UK-Pakistan relations with a series of events and activities throughout 2022.

SAJP Fellow, Saher Baloch, a bilingual correspondent for BBC Urdu, said the fellowship was one of the best experiences of her career, where she got to meet colleagues from different South Asian countries and learn from them. “It was encouraging to see many female journalists as part of the cohort and I wish more women would apply for this fellowship in the future,” she said.

Another SAJP fellow, Sana Batool, who is currently working at Geo.tv, said the fellowship helped her hone her journalism skills. She stated that such fellowships help journalists expand their network and learn from other journalists from across South Asia. She considers the Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellowship to be a significant milestone in her journalism career.