The Q-Group Foundation in partnership with MoBSE last Thursday awarded University scholarship to ten (10) deserving students across the country.
The Scholarship will last for four years with free internet connectivity through their courses at the University.
The presentation of the awards was graced by the Permanent Secretary of Minister of Basic and Secondary education (MoBSE), senior officials of MoBSE, Executive Director Q-Group Foundation among others and was held at the Q-Group Conference Hall.
In her speech, the Executive Director of Q-Group Foundation, Isatou Jah, said in October 2021 they announced the launching of the Q-Group-MoBSE scholarship program, and three months later “we are pleased and proud to be here to award the recipients of the scholarship.”
According to her, Q-Group Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Q-Group of Companies through which they streamline their initiatives and interventions with the aim of contributing to the National Development.
Also, she said, since inception of Q-Group Foundation in 2016, the company have been supporting initiatives focused on sustainable development in the areas of Education, Health, Youth and Community Development.
“Notably, in 2018, we signed an MOU with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) to establish a cooperative relationship between our institutions to promote partnership based on active dialogue and interaction in the development of education,” she explained.
She therefore acknowledged Q-Group Foundation’s relationship with the MoBSE, a partnership dated back from 2010, as they partnered with MoBSE to organise the country largest spelling at a tune of D10 million. “To most recently in 2020, when the pandemic hit the country we supported the reopening of schools through a donation of D1millon.” She disclosed.
She went further that Q-Group has been supporting tens of students every year, particular the under privileged students to access tertiary education at UTG or Gambia Collage.
“However, we have realized most of the students that come to us for assistance are either studying Accounting or development studies being a technology-based group. Therefore, this partnership is specifically established to bridge the gap that we are seeing in our institution of higher learning and encourage young Gambians to venture in to mathematics, sciences, and ICT-related programs at the University of the Gambia [UTG],” she added.
Under this program, every year 10 deserving students will be awarded a scholarship and the award will be distributed equitably across the seven Regional Education Directorates. The scholarship will cover tuition fees and free 10GB internet access for the entire duration of the study program.
Permanent Secretary MOBSE Louse Moses Mendy underscored the significant of the scholarship package program. He praised the Q-Group Foundation for the support and the strong partnership with MoBSE to ensure that at least ten deserving students benefits from this scholarship. He said if Gambia can have 10 of Q-Group then today, we would have 100 students would have benefited from the scholarship program.
He therefore advised the students to continue to show more commitment to their education and ensure that they make the country proud of them, while encouraged parents to continue to motivate and encourage them in this journey.
