Financially underprivileged students get assistance

Last week, the Republic of China (Taiwan) officially awarded 524 scholarships to less privileged primary, secondary and college students throughout the country.

The first of two ceremonies took place at the Methodist Church Hall last Tuesday, December 3, and was attended by awardees and principals from the primary and secondary schools.

Senator Deborah Charles

A second ceremony took place last Saturday at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC), where 82 scholarships were handed over to college students.

Speaking last Tuesday, Ambassador Calvin Ho noted that the Taiwanese Human Resource Development Scholarship Award programme, launched in 1998, has as its purpose “to assist financially underprivileged students for their studies.”

He said that this year the Governments of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and Taiwan have agreed to renew the memorandum of understanding, and that the programme is further extended to the year 2023.

For these years Taiwan will be giving a total of US$120,000 annually under the programme, or EC$320,000.

“To learn is a wonderful thing. Maybe at the young age the students feel that it’s very hard to study, but one day you will find that it’s very happy to study at schools,” he told the full hall.

“If you want to develop a country, one of the most important factors will be the capacity of the human being, of your nationals,” the Ambassador commented.

Ambassador Calvin Ho

The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Myccle Burke, and the Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry, Senator Deborah Charles, both expressed their gratitude to Taiwan.

“It’s not out of abundance that they share, but through their toil…through their hard work. We are recipients of their generosity,” Burke noted.

Charles described the programme as “a representative of what is best for humanity,” because “it brings together two friendly Governments working for the benefit of our disadvantaged students who are in need.”
“Since the inception of this programme in 1998, thousands of our students have benefited immensely from the generosity of our friends from Taiwan. During the 21 years of our partnership, our friends have contributed over five and a half million EC dollars in making this programme a success,” she informed.

Saying that SVG could not ask “for a better bigger brother,” Charles promised Taiwan: “I wish to assure you that we stand with you as we continue to give unwavering support to your country in all forums, particularly at the United Nations, where we believe that the voice of your 23 million inhabitants ought to be heard.”

She encouraged the recipients of the scholarships to redouble their efforts to make themselves their own success story.