MTHE's Deputy Minister Attends Chinese Ambassador Scholarship Awards Ceremony
The Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Mr. Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara, has, together with the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr. David Sengeh, and a host of other dignitaries, joined the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Sierra Leone, H.E Hu Zhangliang, to present Chinese Ambassador Scholarships to 22 college and university students and 125 basic and senior secondary school pupils across the country.
The event took place at the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy at 42 OAU Village, Hill Station.
In his opening statement, H.E Hu Zhangliang noted that the scholarship programme, which has benefited a total of 115 students to date, was setup few years ago to support the local tertiary education in Sierra Leone with a view to heightening outstanding academic performance and positive attitude towards promoting China[1]Sierra Leone friendship. He added that the grant awarded to 125 needy primary and secondary school pupils this year aims at attaching great importance to the Free Quality Education. He further expressed his heartfelt delight in having a host of government dignitaries attending the ceremony. He appreciated the Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education and the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education for sparing their precious time to grace the event, applauding the two Ministries for the promotion of educational cooperation between Sierra Leone and China. He expressed warm congratulations to all the college students and the primary and secondary school pupils who are qualified for the scholarships. H.E Hu Zhangliang also applauded the Government of Sierra Leone for upholding the genuine friendship that has existed between the two countries. He intimated members about China's support to Sierra Leone in previous years, continuing that recent years have seen the bilateral cooperation between China and Sierra Leone further expanded and deepened with fruitful outcomes. He noted China's commitment to promoting Sierra Leone's human capital development, which according to him is of vital importance to the economic and social recovery of any country. "The Chinese Government has sponsored over 1,000 Sierra Leonean students to study in China under the Chinese Government Scholarship Programme; similarly, Chinese Government has invited more than 5,100 Sierra Leonean friends from all walks of life to short term training courses in the past 20 years ," he said.
The Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Mr. Sarjoh Aziz Kamara, appreciated the long-standing support of the Chinese Government to Sierra Leone, adding that there are currently 155 Sierra Leonean students who have registered with the Sierra Leone Embassy in the People's Republic of China, pursuing different academic programmes. He also appreciated the Chinese Government for awarding scholarship to 48 Sierra Leonean students who are currently in-country and have not been able to travel because of the Covid Pandemic as well as the 20 students who came for holidays and have also not returned because of travelling bans. According to Mr. Aziz-Kamara, the support of the Chinese Government to Sierra Leone serves as a key driver to sustainable growth and human capital development. He noted that China has over the years shown true solidarity and genuine friendship to Sierra Leone, noting his Ministry's commitment in collaborating with China to advance key areas of development.
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr. David Sengeh, applauded the Chinese Government for the diversity of activities that it regularly helps Sierra Leone with. He noted that scholarships from China have always been perceived to benefit only higher and technical education, adding that the direct benefit to basic and senior secondary education this year is a laudable attainment. "Our traditional friendship and friendly cooperation have been constantly strengthened and enriched with tangible results achieved," he mentioned.