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Students leave for Cuba
Marabel Jacobs. Antigua
Sun, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday
October 12 2005.
Yesterday, 40 students left the island
for Cuba to further their studies at tertiary
level institutions. These students represent
the last set of Antiguans and Barbudans
bound for the Spanish-speaking country for
the academic year 2005.
Some had left previously but the departure
of these latest students fulfils an undertaking
given by the Cuban government to provide
Antiguans and Barbudans with 50 scholarships
annually over the next four years, half
of which will be for pedagogic studies.
Ambassador to Cuba Bruce Goodwin said the
relationship between Cuba and Antigua &
Barbuda remains a close one and continues
to grow.
"The administrative mechanism by which
this relationship is enhanced and by which
it is monitored is the joint Cuba/Antigua
& Barbuda Commission which meets once
a year."
This year, the commission met in April
when Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and
a high level delegation made a state visit
to Cuba. One of the outcomes of that meeting
was the undertaking by the Cuban government
to provide the country with 50 scholarships
per year.
The commission is scheduled to meet again
next March, this time in Antigua, at which
time they will review the areas of co-operation
and any new initiatives the country would
like to undertake.
"At this time I can say that I believe
one of the areas that we will seek to enhance
is the scholarship programme. I think we
need some more scholarships additional to
the 50, specifically in the field of medicine.
So I think when the commission meets in
March we will make a pitch to have a specific
number of scholarships awarded annually
in the field of medicine," Goodwin
said.
He added the send-off of the batch of students
is, "a reason for us to be proud because
we worked very hard to organise this body
of students to leave. We had a number of
challenges along the way, mainly in the
areas of administrative problems. We were
able to solve those problems and today marked
the success of the process of selection
and all the arrangements which had to be
made to get the students off to Cuba."
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