The send-off ceremony for the fellows was held at the residence of Japanese ambassador in Dhaka on June 14, says a press release.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Masayuki Inoue called on JDS fellows to keep in mind that both Bangladeshi and Japanese people expect a great deal from them for the development of their own country through making the best use of knowledge and experience that they will acquire from Japan.

The fellows have already completed a two-month-long Japanese language training programme.

They will study in Japan for two years to get master's degree in six fields- public administration, economics, international relations and environmental policy.

The formal title of Japan Development Scholarship is The Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS).

The scholarship was established by the Government of Bangladesh with the assistance of the Government of Japan starting from 2001.

JDS will contribute to enhance the knowledge and skills of young Bangladeshi people so that they can play leading role in the development of their country on completion of their studies.

In the last 5 years, a total of 107 JDS fellows were sent to Japan, and of them 73 fellows have already come back to Bangladesh.