By Devonne Cornelius
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) awarded 14 persons from St. Kitts and Nevis with scholarships to further their studies at an accredited university in Taiwan.
The awardees of the 2020 Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Taiwan Scholarship are; Chris Tyson, Clilia Davis, Jacinth Hunkins, Jaleel Browne, Nigel Langley Jr., Selwyn Liburd, Kelso Clarke, Yitzak Bass, and Mandisa Greene.
And receiving the 2020 International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) Scholarship are; Rondell Williams, Marquan O’Loughlin, Tawanna Collins, Jahdel Allen, and Dylan Jacobs.
His Excellency Tom Lee, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Kitts and Nevis said in his brief remarks “I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the 14 students. Taiwan is known for its generosity and hospitality. Soon after you arrive in Taiwan, you will find Taiwan your home away from home, so I would like to encourage all the students to make the most of your stay in Taiwan. Study hard and enjoy our hospitality and have fun”. Ambassador Lee also took the time to wish the students a safe journey to Taiwan, adding that Taiwan has managed the pandemic really well with schools and other businesses being opened.
Also, speaking at the ceremony was the Minister of Education, the Hon. Jonel Powell. The Education Minister said “I think this is an amazing opportunity for you and it is certainly something that you should be commended on, on being afforded this opportunity. I would like to thank the government of Taiwan for its continued assistance and commitment to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. In particular, I am happy for the commitment to increase the number of opportunities that our local students can take advantage of going forward”.
Minister Powell added that the education ministry will continue to offer its support and is committed to continuing to collaborate with the embassy to ensure there are more applications, and more persons qualifying to take advantage of the opportunities.
The awardees will be pursuing studies in Tropical Agriculture, Mechanical Engineering, International Business and Trade, Computer Science, and Information Engineering among other areas in Bachelor’s, Masters’ and Ph.D. programs. The ICDF Awardees are set to leave the federation on October 09 and the MOFA Awardees on October 16, 2020.
Also present at the Taiwan Scholarship Award Ceremony, which took place at Marshalls Restaurant on Wednesday, September 30, were Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris, National Hero Sir Dr. Kennedy Simmonds, Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, staff from the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and family members of the scholarship awardees.