The award ceremony was held at the Ministry’s complex in Bijilo on Thursday.
At the MoHERST Students' Excellence Award, the Honourable Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Professor Pierre Gomez, stated that the Post Graduate Scholarships are tenable in countries the Ministry shares bilateral relations.
He added that the award provides a platform for recognizing excellence in higher education. He added that thus, on behalf of President Barrow the 10 deserving and meritorious students from The University of The Gambia were awarded the scholarships by MoHERST to pursue their graduate studies.
“The Ministry intends to build the human capital stock of the country through increased access to tertiary and higher education. Special prominence will be given to increase female participation in education,” Hon. Prof Gomez stated, adding that the Ministry is working towards producing the first home-grown engineers thereby increasing the pool of experts, reducing the incidence of capital flight and improving economic growth and development in The Gambia.
Dr Yusupha Touray, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry underlined that the education systems are designed to meet socio-economic advancements, and where this is adequately implemented, nations become self-reliant and socio-economically advanced.
Dr Touray highlighted the significance of the award ceremony in recognising excellence and providing further learning opportunities to the awardees in order to realise their best potentials and thus, contribute towards the national development of The Gambia.
Speaking on behalf of her fellow graduates at the MoHERST Students' Excellence Award 2023, Valedictorian Ya Adam Njie thanked the Chancellor of The University of The Gambia, President Barrow, and the Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Hon. Professor Pierre Gomez, for the award of graduate scholarships.
“It means so much to us. Having the chance to pursue our education without the stress of finance is such a great honour and we are very thankful," Ya Adam expressed.
