Lack of phd training for scientists from developing world

My previous post mentioned about an article that really illustrate my situation in my future PhD application. Recently, my supervisor encourages me to stay back at Glasgow and pursue PhD here, and she will find funding for me. However, these funds only cover UK rate, whereby I still have to settle the huge amount of international tuition fee. I really happy with opportunity given, but I haven't draw any conclusion at the moment. Whether stay back to do PhD here, or other country that come across my mind like Canada, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Singapore or homeland. haha, my supervisor suggests me to locate funds from home country to cover tuition fee, but I think the success rate almost "0". Anyway, I will keep on looking for any possible opportunities.

PhD degrees in the UK are offered on the studentship basis, whereby you will get a place to study but doesn't guarantee you can obtain funding for it. In contrast, PhD admission in Germany, US or Switzerland, (if I not mistaken) you will be "employed" for a PhD degree. Therefore, we don't have to pay for tuition fee.

The following are part of the contents of the original article, and it clearly states out the reason I intend to do PhD, and problems I am facing right now as well as students from other developing countries:-

"The passport to scientific leadership is the PhD: without one, it is almost impossible to participate at a high level in the scientific enterprise. It does not matter if you have been working in research for one year or 30: without a PhD you are not even eligible to apply for funding to most research councils, and thus have no chance of building an independent research group and reaping the professional and humanitarian rewards it brings.

Most PhD holders are concentrated in rich countries, because that is where most of the PhD-awarding institutions and career prospects are. Many universities in the developing world offer excellent masters-level training, but not PhD programmes: they have neither the staff nor the infrastructure. An aspiring scientist in, say, Tanzania, must look to the rich world for PhD training but the cost is often prohibitive. Universities in Britain, for example, make no distinction between domestic and international students; all are charged a flat fee of about £11,000 ($16,500, €13,000) a year. However, if you are a UK resident your fees will almost always be fully paid for. Overseas students must pay the full £11,000 fees and support themselves. For rich students from rich countries this may be possible; for those from the poorest it is utterly out of reach.

UK research councils and the main charities commendably support UK scientists to head research programmes based in developing countries that could lead to improvements in health, the environment and socioeconomic status. However, such programmes rarely pay for PhD training for local students. Just as emergency famine relief fails to tackle the underlying difficulties of local agriculture, a rich-world monopoly on scientific enterprise leads to the scientific impoverishment of poor countries. In the past 50 years there have been huge improvements in fighting diseases of affluence but little in diseases of poverty, showing that the responsibility for tackling these problems cannot be left to the rich world.

If the rich world is serious about finding solutions to the most pressing health problems, it must increase the accessibility and affordability of postgraduate training. This is no mere act of charity. The wide-ranging reciprocal educational benefits that would result from real partnerships with researchers and institutes in the developing world are evident. We cannot tackle current and looming global challenges without the experience and commitment of those most affected." (Ferguson, 2008)

Reference:

Heather Ferguson. (2008). Scientists from poor countries need the west’s help. FT.com (Financial Time). Available at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a92c190c-b589-11dd-ab71-0000779fd18c.html