Government pays gratitude to Japan
Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) Vincent Ghambi has recognised the Japanese government’s contribution to the education sector in the country.
He said this, Friday, at a send-off reception of the Japanese-sponsored Malawian scholars held at Japanese Ambassador Shuichiro Nishioka’s residence in Lilongwe.
The four scholars, expected to leave early next month, include undergraduate student Bernard Malunga, master’s students Jonathan Mojoo and Neo Kazembe, and a PhD student Geoffrey Kumwenda.
“The Japanese government has over the years been granting both short and long-term scholarships to Malawians to study in various fields important for our national development.
“These scholarships, therefore, only serve to help to cement the cordial diplomatic relationship which exists between Malawi and Japan. They also help Malawian scholars to be exposed to other experiences and network with professionals for the benefit of the scholars themselves and the Malawi nation as well,” Ghambi said.
He said the scholarships are in line with the country’s National Education Sector Plan as they relate to expanding access to quality education in the country, urging the beneficiaries to work hard and concentrate on their studies when they are in Japan.
Speaking earlier, Nishioka said the government of Japan looks at capacity building as one of the key elements for the social and economic development of a nation and that is why Japan is providing many human resource development programmes in Malawi.
Malunga, an orphan from Children of the Nations International Christain Academy, hailed the Japanese government for the scholarship and promised to use the opportunity to advance himself and also help the country, especially children wondering in the streets, to develop when he comes back.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Principal Secretary, Dalitso Kabambe, former Malawian ambassador to Japan, Roosevelt Gondwe, Japanese Alumni in Malawi President, Chomora Mikeka, other MoEST officials, among others, also attended the occasion.
Kabambe in an interview said since 1964 when Lilongwe and Tokyo established diplomatic relations, Malawi has benefited from Japan in various sectors which include health, education, agriculture, and infrastructure development.
Malunga, Mojoo (University of Malawi’s Chancellor College), Kazembe (Dignitas International) and Kumwenda (Ministry of Health) will study at Japanese universities of Kwansei Gakuin, Hiroshima, Tokyo and Osaka, respectively.
Malawi’s access to tertiary education is one of the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. The country has four government-owned universities which enroll less than 4,000 students per year
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