The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) has bidden farewell to sixteen (16) Sierra Leonean students (four Masters’ and eleven Undergraduate students) in pursuit of further studies in India. The meeting was held at the Ministry’s Conference Room in New England Ville.
In addressing the students, MTHE’s Minister, Prof. Alpha Tejan Wurie, started off by stating that advertisements for the scholarships were done for candidates to apply both through the Ministry and directly via the online link, taking into consideration an unbiased mode of selection.
He mentioned that five of the sixteen awardees applied through the Ministry and eleven applied directly through the link. He entreated the awardees to serve as Ambassadors of Sierra Leone, urging them to take their coursework seriously and return to serve Sierra Leone on completion of their studies.
Prof. Wurie assured the awardees of the Ministry’s commitment to creating a desk that will ensure their eventual employment on their return.
“For a country to grow, it requires not just degree people, but hands-on technologies, and India has surpassed most countries at a very rapid rate,” he said.
Indian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, H.E. Rakesh Arora, expressed delight over the bilateral relation between Sierra Leone and India, especially in the area of education, referring to the event as an indication of the diplomatic dividends between the two countries.
He assured the Ministry and by extension the Government of Sierra Leone of India’s commitment to awarding more scholarships to Sierra Leoneans in subsequent years.
According to MTHE’s Director of Research, Planning and Development, Sia Fasuluku, the sixteen scholarships are geared towards complementing the incumbent Government’s agenda to enhance quality education and human capital development in the country.
She admonished the awardees to have Sierra Leone at heart throughout their stay in India, urging them to make the country proud. “You are leaving parents behind that believe you are going to change the stories of your respective families,” she mentioned.
