12 Guyanese students have been awarded scholarships to study in China. The scholarships are for a variety of academic disciplines ranging from studies in medicine, technology, finance, and economics.
During a simple award ceremony on Friday at the Chinese Embassy in Georgetown, China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Guo Haiyan, said the awardees will serve as goodwill ambassadors for Guyana and China’s friendship.
“Studying in China will be a new chapter in your life. I do hope that you could cherish this hard-earned opportunity … I do believe that you will know a real and multi-faceted China through your own experience,” she said.
Offering brief remarks at the award ceremony, Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, encouraged the prospective students to strike a balance between their academics and their experiences.
“Make sure you learn the language, make sure you eat the food, make sure you experience the culture,” Parag said, while placing emphasis on having continued dedication and completing the task at hand.
The Public Service Minister wished the awardees the best in their endeavor, informing them that with Guyana’s transformation, there is must need for their skillset which the government highly values.
“We’re in exciting times, we’re moving to exciting times and I’m really happy that you’re going to be a part of them,” she said.
One of the awardees, Maria Alert, expressed gratitude for the scholarship to the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese Government for providing the opportunity to students worldwide.
She urged her colleagues to “make the best” of the opportunity and urged them to help each other throughout the journey.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” she said, as she explained that the first step was taking the risk to apply for the scholarship.
Meanwhile, another awardee, Victor Allen, also expressed gratitude for the opportunity.
Allen is a former recipient of a Government of Guyana scholarship to study medicine in Cuba.
Allen said it was always his dream to pursue a specialization in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and this scholarship will allow him to do so.
Since the signing of the culture agreement between the Governments of Guyana and China in 1984, China has provided a total of 213 scholarships to Guyanese students.
