By Abubakarr Bah, Information Attaché, Sierra Leone Embassy in Saudi Arabia

In tune with the flagship programme of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s Free Quality Education, the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia will be offering scholarships for students who excell in the coming years of the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to pursue undergraduate courses in Engineering, Accounting and Computer Sciences, among others.

This was disclosed to His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim Jalloh, Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during a working visit to His Highness, Dr. Mamdouh Bin Saud Bin Thunayan Al Saud, President of the Islamic University of Madinah.

In his opening statement, Ambassador Jalloh conveyed greetings of His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the President and staff of the Islamic University of Madinah and expressed the Government’s profound appreciation to the Islamic University for its tremendous support to Sierra Leone in the areas of education and human capital development over the past decades.

Ambassador Jalloh informed the President of the Islamic University of the Free Quality Education programme of His Excellency President Bio and requested the need for the University to roll out scholarship programmes for high school students especially in the sciences adding that the Bio adminstration puts premium on education and is determined to build a strong foundation that would produce the country’s future leaders.

Responding, the President of the University, His Highness Dr. Mamdouh Bin Saud Bin Thunayan Al Saud said he was pleased with the request, noting that the Islamic University of Madinah had looked into the needs of countries that were keen on human capital development and had selected Sierra Leone as one of the beneficiaries of the scholarship programmes.

“We will be offering up to fifty scholarships to Sierra Leone in the next few years as a start. I urge you to prevail on your Government to be selecting the best crop of WASSCE students to pursue courses in Engineering, Accounting and Computer Sciences”, the President of the Islamic University of Madinah said.

The Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia has been of help to Sierra Leone in the form of scholarships since the 1960s. Over three hundred Sierra Leonean students have graduated from the Islamic University of Madinah since its establishment.

More than one hundred Sierra Leoneans Students are studying in the University of which twenty are post graduate students.