The scholarships cover a variety of fields, including civil engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and Information Communication Technology (ICT), among others.
During the farewell ceremony, Prof. Thuch Lam Liem, the Director General for Training and External Relations in the Ministry of Higher Education, urged the students to remain focused.
“What we can tell you here is that when you go to Ethiopia, remember you are going to study. We don’t go there to play around,” he said.
“You need to work hard so that when you return, you come back with good grades from the Ethiopian educational institutions that have given us this opportunity,” he added.
Prof. Liem also encouraged the students to follow the laws of Ethiopia, respect university guidelines, and return home with success. He expressed gratitude to the Ethiopian government and people for their generous support, noting that the Ethiopian scholarships had replaced the Egyptian scholarship program that had recently ended.
“This year, TVET is sponsoring 110 students, and so far, 79 have processed their visas and will depart within the week,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian Ambassador to South Sudan Nebil Mahdi told the students that the TVET program would help them become job creators rather than job seekers.
“Today, we have a very fruitful farewell for South Sudanese students who are going on the TVET scholarship program provided by the Ethiopian government,” he said.
“Currently, if you want to get a job, the development needs of our nations require graduates from TVET programs,” Mahdi added.
The Ethiopian envoy emphasized that this initiative was crucial for the development of both South Sudan and Ethiopia’s socio-economic progress.
Mahdi also highlighted that Ethiopia had offered South Sudan 644 scholarship slots this year alone, including 575 for undergraduate programs and 69 for postgraduate studies.
He reaffirmed the strong and enduring bilateral relations between Addis Ababa and Juba, describing them as “everlasting brotherly ties.”
James Matur, one of the scholarship recipients, said, “On behalf of the scholars, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for believing in the power of education and providing this opportunity to study under the TVET program in Ethiopia.”
He urged fellow students to view this opportunity as a stepping stone toward a brighter future.
“To the government of Ethiopia, know that the people you are about to mentor will contribute not only to South Sudan’s development but also to Ethiopia’s and Africa’s growth,” Matur said.
Another student, Carila Ethiang, expressed her appreciation to the Ethiopian government and people, adding, “We promise you that we will not make you regret giving us this scholarship.”
She emphasized the students’ commitment to bringing valuable knowledge back to both nations.
“We will do our best and stand firm as a family. We believe that with the Ethiopian government’s support, we will excel for the benefit of both our country and Ethiopia,” Ethiang said.
“Through the cooperation between our countries, I believe that one day South Sudan and Ethiopia will achieve great things on the world stage,” she concluded.
