Harare, November 19, 2021 – The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education are celebrating the 22nd annual International Education Week (IEW) from November 15-19, 2021. This joint initiative highlights the benefits of international education and exchange and the United States commitment to international education. International student mobility is central to diplomacy, innovation, economic prosperity, and national security, as reiterated in the recent Joint Statement of Principles in Support of International Education by the U.S. Departments of State and Education.
United States colleges and universities enrolled 1,304 Zimbabwean students in the 2020/21 academic year, according to the 2021 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange[1]. The global pandemic affected international educational exchange and student mobility around the world, and Zimbabwe was not immune. While the number of Zimbabwean students studying in the United States declined by 5.3% compared to the previous academic year, Zimbabwe remains one of the leading Sub-Saharan African countries sending students to the United States.
“It has been an honor to support Zimbabweans in their journey to apply for degrees in higher education this year. As we commemorate International Education Week, it is exciting to know that Zimbabweans continue to value international education by choosing to study in the United States,” said Meg E. Riggs, Public Affairs Officer at the United States Embassy in Harare. The Embassy maintains robust exchange programs that enables Zimbabweans to travel to the United States for academic and professional learning opportunities. In the past decade, the Embassy has sent over 700 Zimbabweans on academic exchanges, including an aggregate of 405 participants on various Fulbright programs. These efforts exemplify our shared commitment to international student mobility and U.S.-Zimbabwean university partnerships.
As we celebrate International Education Week, we announce the graduate 2022-2023 Opportunity Program, to assist Zimbabwean post-graduate students to apply to U.S. universities for graduate studies. The Opportunity Fund program is an initiative by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs to make U.S. higher education more accessible to high-achieving international students from low-income backgrounds. Applications for the program open on December 1, 2021, and we invite interested students to register to click here: https://bit.ly/3HBx9fv
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For additional information, please contact HararePress@state.gov. # #