DILI, 17 august 2021 (TATOLI) – The Technical Secretariat of the Human Capital Development Fund (ST-FDCH) sign the ‘Hakbi’it Scholarship’ agreement with the National University of Timor-Lorosa’e (UNTL) to provide scholarships for 480 selected students as the beneficiaries of the program.
The agreement aims to assist students who are facing financial difficulties due to family economic hardship.
Speaking at the ceremony of the signing of the Hakbi’it Scholarship program, the Director of the ST-FDCH, Hermenegildo da Silva informed that ST-FDTC had allocated US$ 1.5 million for the program to cover the whole beneficiaries of all universities in 2021.
“We commence with UNTL and later we will establish the same agreement with other private universities in the country,” Silva made the comments at the hall of the Education Faculty, UNTL, in Dili, today.
Silva encouraged the 480 beneficiaries to study hard to get good grades: “For those beneficiaries who are doing social science majors, they are required to get a 3.0 GPA per semester. While for those who are studying natural science, they have to get at least a 2.75 GPA each semester. If their GPA is less than those set standards then their scholarship will be cut.”
“We will conduct a six-month monitoring program at the end of every semester to see their GPA. They need to keep in mind that, this is a good opportunity and they have to use it well. If their scholarships are cut then they need to return the state’s money,” said Silva.
Silva affirmed that to be eligible for the scholarship, the beneficiaries are required to submit the written statement from the Chief Village and the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI) to justify their family economic situation before getting the financial aid.
In addition, João Martins, the Rector of the National University of Timor-Lorosa’e (UNTL) thanked the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Culture (MESSK) for establishing the ‘Hakbi’it Scholarship’ to facilitate university students, who are experiencing financial difficulties.
“Hakbi’it Scholarship is a good initiative, which will help many families with economic hardship to send their kids to universities,” said Martins.
Leonito Marques da Silva, one of the Hakbi’it Scholarship beneficiaries thanked the ST-FDCH, MESSK, and UNTL for allowing them to study at UNTL through the scholarship program.
“For all the trust you place in us, I would like to say that we will use this opportunity wisely to better prepare ourselves to become the agent of development for Timor-Leste in the future.
noted: an earlier version of this article contained a error in numerical reporting some financial figures. This has been corrected”
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
