THE award of scholarships to 12 Guyanese for study in the People’s Republic of China at various tertiary institutions was announced on Friday.
The scholarships were handed out at the Chinese Embassy in Guyana where the awardees were urged to take full advantage of the opportunity of studying abroad.

Delivering remarks at the ceremony was Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, who reminded that Guyana and China have enjoyed a longstanding relationship in many sectors including education.
Against this backdrop, she praised the scholarship programme by the Government of China, noting that such an initiative is important even as the Government of Guyana has also embarked on a strong scholarship programme targeted to all Guyanese.

It was then that she congratulated the awardees who will be leaving for China soon and urged them to strike a balance between pursuing their academics and learning about a new culture and country.
With that, she told the scholars to ensure that they learn the language, experience the culture and to stay dedicated to success in their studies.

The public service minister further noted that focusing on self-development and creating independence can be two of the most valuable things that young persons can do for themselves.
“So, as you students go off and as you start this new journey I wish you all the best. I look forward to you coming back,” Parag expressed.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of China to Guyana, Guo Haiyan, said that in this year’s cohort twelve scholarships have been awarded, nine of which are being funded by China’s central government while another three are being funded by Jiangsu Provincial government.

It was revealed that of the 12 scholarships awarded, seven persons will be pursuing studies in the medical field while the other five accounts for a number of other fields.
The Ambassador said that the Chinese Government has been continuously supporting Guyana’s development and transformation, adding that this is just another way of continuing this support.

With that, she noted that since the beginning of 2022, China has provided a number of short-term training sessions among other interventions to better support the socio-economic transformation of Guyana.
This, she said, is also part of the ongoing work and training being done by the 17th Chinese Medical Brigade here.
Additionally, Ambassador Guo added that the government of China, since the beginning of this year, has made arrangements for the safe return of international students to study in China.