Make the Best of This Wonderful Opportunity

We extend our best wishes to the group of Gambian students, numbering 49, that are set to leave the shores of the country for The Republic of China on Taiwan to pursue various degree courses through the Taiwan 2008 Scholarship. We also urge them to make the fullest possible use of this glorious opportunity and fly the flag of The Gambia high while they are abroad.

The chance to study abroad is not only an opportunity to further ones education but also a glorious chance to experience another culture and broaden the mind through travel. For this reason the students must grasp the chance gladly and with both hands.

The scholarships are also another shining example of the great support that the people of Taiwan continue to give to the people of The Gambia. We thank them for their bottomless generosity of spirit and hope that the support will continue for a long time to come.

Taiwan has been a shining example of what a country can achieve even in the face of great adversity and the students should learn well from this example and bring the lessons home to share with their fellow countrymen here in The Gambia.

The students have been chosen from many thousands of others so they are obviously of a very high calibre. This said they must not be complacent or slacken their pace in any way as the studies that lie ahead will be intense and testing. Sometimes they may feel overwhelmed by culture shock or the enormity of what is expected of them but we urge them to be courageous and not loose concentration or focus.

Addressing the students at the recent gathering to mark the students departure, Richard Shih, Taiwanese Ambassador to The Gambia, congratulated the students while describing the day as a moment of joy for them. The Taiwanese diplomat revealed that the students will be pursuing their bachelors, Masters and PhD. It is gratifying to note that this is the highest number of scholarship awarded to The Gambia by Taiwan, which he said is a manifestation of his government's willingness to support  The Gambia's education efforts. "It is the intention of The Republic of China on Taiwan to share our experience with our best friends of The Gambia," he said. We thank the Taiwanese and urge the students to repay their kindness with dilligence and hard work so that after four years they can return to our shores and serve their country as accomplished, well educated citizens.