Education key to national development - KOICA

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has underscored the importance of high education to national development.

The Deputy Country Director of KOICA, Ghana Office, Mr. Seungmin Oh said higher education is the foundation for prosperity and success in a rapidly changing and technology-driven global economy.

It is against this background that the KOICA will this year give the opportunity to Ghanaian government workers to benefit from its Masters Scholarship programme.

Mr Oh said by studying in Korea, beneficiaries of the scholarships programme will acquire first-hand knowledge about Korea.

“By studying in Korea, beneficiaries get to be immersed in distinct culture, acquire new language skills and invaluable experiences,” he stated.

He said this at a briefing session of the 2019 KOICA Masters Scholarships Programme held in Accra on Thursday.

The briefing session, which saw over 100 attendees, seeks to provide a channel to assist prospective applicants to understand the scholarship process and lessen difficulties with the application process.

Ghanaian graduates lauded

Mr Oh also lauded Ghanaian graduates who study in various universities in Korea for their exceptional display of brilliance and excellence in their academic performance.

“Ghanaians are intelligent, smart and eager to learn and they excel in their various fields of study,” he recounted.

Mr. Oh noted that a cursory look at the programme revealed that since 1997, over 3,400 graduates from 80 different nationalities have been produced.

He added that since 2014, 120 Ghanaian government officials have received KOICA scholarships to study various courses in Korea from a pool of overwhelming applications each year.

Scholarship programme

The Master’s Scholarship Programme is funded by the government of Republic of Korea through KOICA and it offers government workers the opportunity to contribute to socio-economic development of their home countries.

The Scholarship programme covers the living expenses of beneficiaries while in Korea for the minimum period required to complete the program, Air travel fare: Economy class, round-trip airfare, full tuition fees, accommodation, traveller’s health insurance, living allowance, meals, textbooks and materials, study visits, field trips, etc. during the program.

The prospective beneficiaries are to select a course in one of the approved Korean universities in a programme which should have an impact on their duties as government workers in economics, trade, gender equality, and rural development among others.

Criteria
 
Taking prospective beneficiaries through the necessary procedures, the Assistant Manager, Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow (CIAT) one of KOICA’s global training programme, Mrs Renny Dede Lartey said beneficiaries must be Ghanaian government officials with two years’ experience and below 40 years.

Mrs Lartey said applicants, when selected would have the opportunity to obtain Master’s degree in Urban Development, Gender Equality Leadership, Finance and Tax Policy, Development in Fisheries among others.

She said the deadline for the submission of the application has been slated on March 8, this year.

For his part, the President of KOICA Alumni Association of Ghana, Reverend Stephen Yaw Osei said his studies in Korea has shaped his career adding that Korea is made up of serious people who believe in hard work. Rev. Osei advised the successful applicants to be ambassadors of Ghana.

A beneficiary of the scholarship, Naa Dedei Tetteh in an interview with the Daily Graphic called for the implementation of Ghana's national development policy.

She said the reason why Korea had developed rapidly was that it's national development policy was being implemented religiously.