AYV News, September 10, 2024
The Islamic Republic of Iran has awarded sixteen fully-funded scholarships to Sierra Leonean students in various fields for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
The Iranian Embassy in Freetown held a farewell ceremony on September 6, 2024 for the students with the presence of Deputy Minister of Technical & Higher Education, Dr. Sarjoh Aziz Kamara and Deputy Opposition Leader of the Parliament, Hon. Daniel Brima Koroma.
This initiative is rooted in Iran’s long-standing friendship with Sierra Leone and is in line with Iran’s commitment to enhance the human capital development efforts initiated through President Julius Maada Bio’s big five game changers.
This is the first time the government of I.R. Iran offers a scholarship program of this scale to Sierra Leonean students and provides full financial support to the recipients who underwent a rigorous selection process that began last year with a large pool of applicants. The main criterion in the selection process was merit and the fields of study were chosen based on the potentials and needs of the society in harmony with Sierra Leone’s national development plan.
The majors covered by the scholarship program include doctor of medicine, doctor of pharmacy, dental surgery, medical laboratory science, midwifery, radiology, chemical engineering, mining engineering, agricultural engineering, industrial engineering, metallurgy and materials engineering and international relations.
The recipients will be studying in top universities across Iran with its vibrant higher education system that enjoys universities with high global ranking. These scholarships will pave the way for the young recipients to enhance their academic qualifications and will enable them to contribute significantly to the future progress and development of their homeland and the prosperity of their fellow countrymen upon their return.
The Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Seyed Khalil Sadati Amiri, highlighted the importance of the opportunity and reminded the students that they will be representing Sierra Leone in Iran, noting that the scholarship comes with great honor and responsibility, encouraging the students to make the most of it. H.E. Sadati emphasized the significance of the scholarships not only for the awardees but also for the bilateral relationship between Iran and Sierra Leone. He also mentioned that that the scholarship program will evolve and continue in the coming years.
The Deputy Head of Mission also congratulated the students and urged them to represent their country well while reminding them of their dual roles as scholars and ambassadors of Sierra Leone, “In a sense, you are going to be the ambassadors of Sierra Leone to Iran during your years as students and upon your return, you will be considered as permanent ambassadors of Iran to Sierra Leone. So, cherish this opportunity and put your studies and ethics at the top of your priority list to make both Iran and Sierra Leone proud.”
Representing the Parliament of Sierra Leone, Honorable Daniel Brima Koroma expressed his satisfaction with the fact that Sierra Leone is receiving such attention from the Iranian government and advised the students on how to properly grasp this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study at top universities in Iran, especially considering the appropriate fields of study that have been selected for and by the students. He also shared insights from his recent trip to Iran and the ample opportunities that exist there and praised the attitude, culture and hospitality of Iranian people.
Deputy Opposition Leader of the Parliament highlighted the significant number of female students among the scholarship recipients (56%) and praised the fact that it is well above the 30% quota for women’s representation that is currently in place in the parliament and other institutions across Sierra Leone. The honorable MP touched on the positive impact that Iran has had in Sierra Leone over the past four decades and announced the ongoing plans to establish the Iran-Sierra Leone parliamentary friendship caucus/group to be used as a platform for further expansion of relations.
In his statement, Deputy Minister of Technical & Higher Education, Dr. Sarjoh Aziz Kamara hailed this initiative by the Iranian government as an extremely positive development in line with the priorities of the government of President Maada Bio which include empowerment of women and strengthening of human capital. He encouraged the students to pursue their studies to the highest degrees possible as Sierra Leone is currently in need of university instructors and professors. The deputy minister reminded the young students that it is only education that can pave the ways of progress and act as a master key to open the doors of success on a personal level and for the society as a whole.
Dr. Aziz Kamara alluded to the trip that the Minister, H.E. Dr. Haja Ramatullai Wurie has taken to China in order to foster further collaborations in areas of technical and vocational education and the mandate of the ministry of Technical and Higher Education to enhance the infrastructures of the country for the young generation so that when this group of students and all the other graduates enter the job market, they will have the required equipment and infrastructure available to them in order to render quality services to their fellow Sierra Leoneans in their own respective fields.
During the farewell ceremony, one of the awardees offered their vote of thanks to the embassy and the government of Iran on behalf of the entire group and presented the ambassador with a framed letter of appreciation. In the end, the students were presented with their visas, flight tickets and scholarship certificates and the ceremony culminated in a group photo.