Norway steps in to ease Serbian brain-drain

BELGRADE -- In a bid to stem the exodus of young intellectuals from Yugoslavia, Norway has promised to spend one million German marks ($461,500) on scholarships to help one thousand Serbian students complete their studies.

The aid will go to students from financially modest backgrounds with good grades to enable them to continue with university or post-graduate study, Norwegian charge d'affaires Sverre Bergh Johansen said on Friday.

Students from throughout Serbia who hold Yugoslav citizenship, or are refugees or displaced persons, are entitled to apply for a one-off 1000 German mark ($462) grant.

"We are aware that whole generations of young people have left Serbia in recent years. We do not wish to contribute to further brain drain," Johansen said.

"The youth of Serbia is its most valuable asset. The scholarships granted by Norway should serve as an inspiration for the students to contribute to building a positive future for their communities," he said.

The scheme was organised alongside G17 Plus, an independent Yugoslav think-tank.

The grants are not awarded to students studying abroad.

"People educated in Serbia are motivated to stay in their country," said Mladjan Dinkic, chief coordinator for G17 Plus.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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G17 website
Office of the Norwegian Prime Minister
Yugoslav Government
Norwegian Education Department

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