Fifty students from 11 higher education institutions reached the final of the Merit Scholarships contest and have been awarded 12,000 lei scholarships. The 18th award ceremony took place on Wednesday, February 12, and was organized by the Educational Advising Center EAC, IPN reports.
The contest received applications from 324 students from 20 universities. After the submissions were evaluated and the applicants passed a general knowledge test, 35 students in the terminal year of undergraduate studies and 15 MA students were selected to reach the final. The jury was an independent committee comprised of academicians.
Attending the event, Prime Minister Iurie Leaca said that the program is an excellent chance to contribute to the affirmation of quality education. “Without graduates mastering the latest technologies, without students applying their studies in life, Moldova will not be able to ensure its sustainable development. We will continue, despite all the difficulties, to promote the reform in education, which is necessary for Moldova”.
Minister of Education Maia Sandu spoke about the need to increase the relevance of studies and to change the youth's attitude towards education. She congratulated the finalists and said that everything depended on the will of young people, as Moldova had enough opportunities for those willing to work.
EAC director Angela Muset said that the Merit Scholarships Program is meant to reaffirm the prestige of quality higher education studies in Moldova and to encourage the students' academic progress and participation in extra-curricular activities. This year's finalists have proved through their achievements in the various fields of studies and through their knowledge of general culture that they deserve to be called “yhe best students of Moldova”, added Muset.
One of the winners, Daniela David, said she would invest the money in her family's farming business. “It is a token of gratitude for my parents. They invested in me and now I'm bearing fruits”, she said. Another recipient of the scholarship, Ana Zatusevschi, thinks that young Moldovans should build a future at home and focus on continuity.
During the contest's 18 annual editions, about 4300 students have applied and 1180 have won Merit Scholarships. The program was started in 1996 at the initiative of Soros Foundation Moldova in order to encourage academic, scientific and extra-curricular achievements of Moldovan students.
The contest is traditionally organized by the Educational Advising Center EAC, under the patronage of the Council of Rectors of Moldova, with financial support from Moldova Agroindbank and Orange Moldova. The program's media partners are IPN news agency, Teleradio-Moldova Company, Saptamina magazine and the newspapers Timpul and Ziarul de Garda.
