Scholars urged to return home

The Ministry of Education is urging students who receive scholarships to return home when they finish their studies.

Yesterday, three students received scholarships to study human medicine in Cuba.

Charge D’Affaires at the Cuban Embassy, Alex Gonzales Garcia, awarded them to Manasseh Mark, Radannia Picou and Andrea Branche. They will leave at the end of August. It is an undergraduate programme that runs for seven years.

Minister in the Ministry Dr Lovell Francis, while wishing the scholars good luck, also told them, “Your education is being provided by the taxpayers of two countries,

“Your education is about bettering and improving your society”.

As part of attaining the sustainable development goal (SDG) of quality education, Francis said, “The ministry is trending in the right direction. However, it can be a struggle.”

SDGs, mandated by the UN, are a universal call to action to protect the planet and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

He said there is a need to modernise some areas and systems as well as boosting technical vocational studies.

The minister, Anthony Garcia, said, “The government is active in improving all sectors of education.”

He added, “The Education Act will be amended in the not-too-distant future so that the tertiary education sector can fall within the formal education system.”

An education policy paper, he added, will "look specifically at access to education and quality of education, to give all students a fair chance to access education opportunities such as this."

Garcia said his country is willing to work with TT to expand programmes in both countries in the future.