Opportunities for students on low incomes

Students from families on low incomes can win awards of up to US$1,500 a year if they fulfill the conditions of the Additional Scholarship for Young People from Disadvantaged Families Project that was launched by the University Information Center at a news conference on April 26. The project is implemented with financial support from George Soros Emergency Fund and the Open Society Institute, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Info-Prim Neo reports. The University Information Center's director Angela Muset said the project is intended for young people who have abilities and want to study at higher education institutions - regardless of ethnicity and place of birth - but do not have financial possibilities. The applicants for scholarships must be first- and second-year students. The income per member in their families must not be higher than 1,100 lei, while their average grades must not be lower than 8 and 9, depending on the faculties where they study. In some of the cases, the additional scholarships will cover the accommodation and meal expenses, the tuition fees and the dormitory fees. A sum of US$659,000 was projected for 2010-2012, Angela Muset said. Varvara Colibaba, deputy director of George Soros Emergency Fund, said that Moldova is one of the beneficiaries of the Emergency Fund that was created in September 2009 by George Soros with the aim of reducing the negative effects of the economic crisis. Moldova has received US$1.2 million from this fund for implementing different projects. One of them is the Additional Scholarships for Young People from Disadvantaged Families Project, which will provide opportunities for able young people, Varvara Colibaba said. The additional scholarships will be given to deprived children with abilities so that they do not give up their studies, said Deputy Minister of Education Loretta Handrabura. The children from the about 60,0000 poor families from Moldova have the chance to learn a profession. The scholarships will be offered in addition to the 15% of awards provided for 13 underprivileged groups of people, of the total of 7,000 budget-funded places in universities. The information about the project will be disseminated among students by volunteers. 170 scholarships will be awarded every year. The contest will have two stages. At the first stage, the documents filed by the applicants will be examined by experts. The second stage will consist of interviews. There will be also organized seminars where the young people will find out about methods of making money for paying for their studies.