The Government of Liberia on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, held a preparatory meeting with highly vetted and qualified young students from different universities and colleges in Liberia ahead of the official lunch of the President’s Scholarship Drive.
The Deputy Foreign Minister for Administration Cornelia Kruah-Togba thanked the students for their resilience and encouraged them to be more focused on the purpose for which the program was initiated.
She said the scholarship will be done differently this time around as compared to the previous ones by past administrations, “meaning you will be giving back to your community through engagement.”
She said the engagement will include community services such as environmental cleanup drive, literacy and education support, health campaigns, mentorship programs, community farming initiatives, skills development workshops, school infrastructure improvement and fundraising and donation drives.
According to the Deputy Minister, the aim of these drives is to encourage beneficiaries to be able to give back to their communities through which these communities can be impacted by the outreach.
She said the community engagement will be done by these young scholars in schools, health centers and market places to educate those who were not fortunate to be part of the program. Deputy Minister Kruah-Togba said the president’s education program is geared towards providing access to education and creating opportunities for students who may not have the financial means to pursue higher education, thereby promoting equity and inclusion.
It will also provide human capital development by investing in education which will contribute to the development of a skilled workforce, which is crucial for the economic growth of the nation.
She said that the scholarship will provide empowerment for the young people to pursue their dreams, fostering a sense of hope and motivation for future generations.
The scholarship is further designed to look at national progress, as educated citizens are more likely to contribute positively to society, participate in governance and drive innovation, leading to overall national development.
The President Scholarship Program was done by a well-coordinated process that vetted over 750 young people vying for a space for quality education through the means of opportunity by the government.
With that number, after the rigorous vetting process, a total of 450 students were selected for the first phase of the program. According to the minister, the program will be recurring, i.e. if a student maintains his or her grade point, he or she will remain on the program until graduation.
She admonished the students to take this opportunity very seriously and work hard in maintaining space. The process, according to the participants, was considered free, fair and without any biases or favoritism by any higher-ups. The procedure was simply to submit their application and wait to be called if selected by the partners.
