JDS

The Project for
Human Resource
Development Scholarship

JDS - Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resource Development Scholarship

Sri Lanka

TopSri Lanka › Master's Degree Program

Application for JDS 2023 is already closed.

Master's Degree Program

1. Applicant Eligibility

Nationality Citizens of Sri Lanka
Age Below the age of 40 as of April 1st, 2024(in principle)
Academic Background Possess a Bachelor Degree (Undergraduate level of education)
Target Group - Completed the probation period and eligible for confirmation
- Eligible Officer:
  • "Executives/ Senior Executives", those who are mentioned in the Public Administration Circular No.06/2006, Annexure II, Page 2, IV Senior Level, and Page 5, 3.10 & 3.11
  • Officials those who belong to Board of Investment (BOI) can only apply to the component 1-2-3 "Industry Development Policy and Investment Promotion"
  • Officials those who belong to National Building Research Organization (NBRO), Central Environmental Authority (CEA), National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB), Waste Management Authority (WMA) can only apply to the component 1-3 "Urban and Regional Development"
* Study Topics that are highly relevant to applicant's career development & beneficial to their organization will be given highest priorit
English Proficienc Have a good command of both written and spoken English for study at graduate schools
Health Condition A person of sound mind and body
Applicants need to take and pass all medical check-up priority to the technical interview, arranged by JDS Project Office. Applicant who cannot take or pass all medical check-up will be disqualified from JDS scholarship.
Pre-condition Applicants are expected to have special interest in studying in Japan as well as motivation to utilize their experience and human network developed through JDS in their career.
After completion of Master Degree, Fellow should return to the country and serve to his/her organization as per the government Procedure
In principle, study courses should be completed in Japan and it will not allow to conduct On-line for graduation.
Ineligibility A person falls under any of the following items is NOT eligible to apply:
  • Military personnel registered on the active list or person on alternative military service cannot apply for JDS.
  • Those who are currently awarded or scheduled to receive another scholarship
  • Those who have obtained a Master's or Higher Degree overseas under the support of foreign scholarship

2. Selection Procedures

1) Promotion Seminars

ONLINE Promotion Seminars are scheduled to provide more detailed information on JDS Project and how to prepare application documents for prospective applicants as follows:

Every Friday 14:00~15:00
15th September 2023 - Sinhala Medium
22nd September 2023 - Sinhala Medium
06th October 2023 - Tamil Medium
17th October 2023 - English Medium

Please contact us to join the program!

2) Information Session by Universities

Information Sessions by accepting universities are scheduled to provide more detailed information on JDS Project and Accepting University for prospective applicants.

Please refer to the schedule on the following link and register to the Information Session by Universities.
Please Click here

2) Application Deadline

Extended Deadline: November 22nd (Wednesday), 2023

Application documents will not be returned for any reason.
Application documents must be submitted to ERD from your Ministry or Organization by deadline. Late submission and incomplete application documents shall NOT be accepted.
(NOTE: Only if the eligible and complete number of applications received is less than 60, the application deadline will be extended for 10 working days automatically. It will be announced on JDS Website soon after the original deadline.)

3) Tentative Schedule

Schedule Steps Description
Sep - Oct, 2023 Application Closing Date: 4:00 p.m. on November 22nd (Wed), 2023
To Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization &National Policies, Department of External Resources through Ministry or Organization to which you belong.
Further details → "Application Documents"
Nov, 2023 IELTS Registration The instruction will be given in the application confirmation email from JICE JDS Project Office.
Please inform the Registration Number to JICE within 3 days after completing the online registration.
Dec, 2023 Academic aptitude test IELTS and Math tests. The test results will be reviewed by the universities in later selection stages
* Applicants who have IELTS score valid until May 31st, 2024 / have 6.0 mark or more from 2022 JDS IELTS TEST are exempted from IELTS test.
Dec, 2023- Jan, 2024 1st Selection Document Screening: Application Documents and research plan will be examined by the Japanese universities.
Jan, 2024 Health Checkup The health checkup will be arranged at a hospital in Colombo
Feb, 2024 2nd Selection Technical Interview Faculty members of the Japanese Universities will conduct interview exams in Colombo, or by online.
Mar, 2024 3rd Selection Comprehensive Interview: The Operating Committee members will conduct the interview exams. "Recommendation letter" will be required.
End of March, 2024 Approval by the OC Successful candidates will be approved and notified
Mar - Apr, 2024 Application Procedure JICE will support application for each university
Jul, 2024 Japanese Language Training Provided to successful candidates in Colombo. (3 months)
Jul, 2024 Orientations Provided by JICA, and JICE
Aug, 2024 Departure for Japan JICE will arrange air-ticket, visa, and also support after the arrival in Japan

* Above schedule is subject to change

<Important Notes>
  • Application Documents will not be returned (Please keep a copy of your documents)
  • Application Documents with false statements or plagiarism will be immediately disqualified
  • A result of each selection will be announced only to successful candidates
  • In principle, reasons of the selection-results will not be disclosed

3. Download of Application Guideline and Application Documents

Please refer to the Application Guideline and submit a full set of application documents by the deadline.

download Download
  1. Application Guideline
  2. Application Documents

To Download Application Guideline and Documents, you need a password.
Please contact JICE JDS Sri Lanka OFFICE for information.

TEL:0112593331

Email:

4. Research Plan

In the JDS selections, each candidate will be evaluated on her/his academic abilities enough to pursue the master's program in Japan as well as the potential of the future contribution to the country. Thus, it is highly recommended to explain that the objective of your research plan be in connection with the development issues under applying Component, and to rationalize how the study will be addressed in accordance with the career path, corresponding to the current position and responsibility in the belonging organization.
It is also recommended to study your applying university to make sure if the curriculums of the university and fields of specialization of faculty members are relevant to your research.
Remember that plagiarizing from somebody's work or websites are strongly prohibited.
Please refer to 'Tips on Application and Selection (Reference)' and 'Guideline for Writing a Research Plan' in the Application Guideline for more information.

5. Supportive videos the application

6. English & Math Exam

Every qualified applicant will be required to take English proficiency test (IELTS) as well as math test in Colombo in December 2023.

  • IELTS consists of 4 parts with 'Listening' for 30 minutes, 'Reading' for 60 minutes, 'Writing' for 60 minutes and 'Speaking' for 11-14 minutes.

    * Applicants who have IELTS score valid until May 31st, 2024 / have 6.0 mark or more from 2022 JDS IELTS TEST are exempted from IELTS test.

  • Math test of around 60 minutes consists of Arithmetic operations, Solving fractions, Equations, Inequality, Matrix, Basic quadratic functions, Basic operations of exponential and logarithmic functions, Basic Integral and Differentiation, etc.

The scores will be reviewed on the 1st selection by the accepting universities. Universities may require the applicants to have good command of English skill and numeracy skills. Please be well prepared for the exams.

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