The Osaka Gas Foundation of International Cultural Exchange (OGFICE) has allocated $40,000 for its scholarship program this year.
Executive Director Toru Yoshioka said OGFICE offered scholarships each year for 20 UNTL engineering students to cover study costs, as well as for short training courses in Japan for Timorese teachers.
“Education is important for the country’s development and so we are so happy to help the Timorese youth,” he said at a ceremony for this year’s scholarship recipients at UNTL in Dili.
The academic performance of scholarship recipients are assessed at the end of each year, with only those who maintain good results allowed to continue in the program.
OGFICE offers scholarships to students across the South Asian region, including Indonesia and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, UNTL Rector Francisco Martins encouraged recipients to study hard and maintain their scholarship until the completion of their studies.
The Japanese government has provided support to UNTL since 2001 through OGFICE and its development agency JICA, helping to establish the faculties of engineering, science and technology.
Scholarship recipient Canizia Freitas Pereira said the students were grateful to OGFICE for their support as financial problems were often an obstacle for young people wanting to continue their studies.
“Many of our friends are smart and have the potential, but it takes time to accomplish their studies and a few of them abandon their studies due to financial problems,” she said.
She said the funds provided by OGFICE would help recipients to buy their study needs such as a laptop and textbooks.
