MANILA, Philippines -- At least 99 scholars from Timor-Leste are in the country to complete four-year undergraduate studies, the Philippine Embassy in Dili reported.
The embassy said on Wednesday that the Timorese government would be shouldering the cost of the education, including accommodations and other incidental expenses, of the scholars, who left their country on January 11 and 12. In support of the project, the Philippine government waived the visa and consular fees of the scholars.
A farewell ceremony held January 10 for the departing scholars had Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and National Parliament President Fernando Lasama de Araujo among the guests. In his speech, Gusmao exhorted the scholars to become youth ambassadors for Timor-Leste. Lasama noted the high quality of education in the Philippines and urged them to take full advantage of the opportunity given to them and to emulate positive Filipino work ethics.
After the farewell ceremony, a pre-departure briefing was held with three Timorese alumni of different Philippine colleges and universities as resource speakers. The briefing sought to inspire the scholars and provide them with information through sharing experiences and advice on how best to cope with everyday living in the Philippines.
The embassy said upon the arrival of the scholars in Manila on January 13, the scholars were made to undergo a six-month bridging program to improve their competence in English, Math and Science. At the end of the program, they will be assessed to determine their respective fields of study and will then be sent to different colleges and universities in Manila to enroll.
Accompanying the scholars was a four-man delegation from the Timor-Leste Ministry of Education headed by Vice Minister Paulo Assis Belo who conferred with officials from the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to explore the possibility of sending Timorese graduate students to the Philippines to pursue masters degrees and doctorates.
By Cynthia Balana Philippine Daily Inquirer (01/21/2009)
Source: globalnation
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