Korea scholarship beneficiaries study online
Beneficiaries of this year’s Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) master’s degree scholarship programme have started studying online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
So far, 18 Ghanaians, all government workers, have been offered scholarships to undertake their master’s degree programmes in Korea for the 2020/21 academic year.
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The beneficiaries were to join their colleagues in June for the 17-month course in various fields but are still in the country because of the pandemic.
In a pre-recorded message, the Deputy Country Director of KOICA, Ms Jeongyi Choi, explained that the closure of airports at the initial travel date in June, had affected the travelling schedule of the group.
Her message was to commemorate the 2020 KOICA knowledge-sharing forum held in Accra.
Package
Ms Choi gave an assurance that the scholarship packages for the beneficiaries remained the same.
The package awarded by the government of the Republic of Korea also known as South Korea, and implemented through KOICA includes an airfare, fully paid tuition fees and expenses for extra-curricular activities such as study visits, workshops and Korean language classes.
The rest of the package covers accommodation, insurance and KRW 999,000 (an equivalent of 900 USD) monthly allowance or stipend.
Knowledge-sharing forum
Among the objectives of the forum was the dissemination of thesis by five beneficiaries of the 2018 master’s scholarship batch who had completed their respective studies in Korea.
Ms Choi said the cross-learning platform was created for deliberations, awareness creation and interactions to rally support from management, supervisors and colleagues at workplaces and the general public to gear towards the development of the country.
She expressed the hope that through the presentation, some of the researches and recommendations would be implemented or scaled up in the various government institutions.
“It is critical in achieving the developmental growth or changes we all need in Ghana and beyond.
“KOICA will continue through our Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow (CIAT) to contribute and develop not only individuals, but also, institutions and systems of our partner countries such as Ghana, by learning from the Republic of Korea’s developmental experiences.
“Our master’s degree scholarship programme funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea through KOICA is to develop human resource, especially, government officials, who will be at the helm of leadership and decision-making in the future of our partner countries,” Ms Choi intimated.
KAAG
The President of KOICA Alumni Association Ghana (LKAAG), Mr Dominic Adjei Annang, said the group would soon conduct projects monitoring and evaluation of past KAAG activities, as well as evaluate the impact of the acquired skills on the institutions from which the scholarship beneficiaries worked.
He also called on all KAAG members to be hardworking while putting to good use the skills imparted to them through their studies.
“Most importantly, they are entreated to uphold integrity in the discharge of their duties because it is “with the righteousness that nations are exalted.
“I strongly believe that we have all it takes to even overtake the Koreans in terms of wealth and development,” Mr Annang said.