Ethiopia offers scholarships to 14 South Sudanese students

By Awan Achiek

The Ethiopian government on Wednesday offered scholarships to 14 South Sudanese students to study masters’ programs in various fields in two prestigious universities.

Nebil Mahdi Abdallahi, the Ethiopian Ambassador to South Sudan during the farewell ceremony in Juba said that the 11 males and 3 females will study at Jimmma University and Arba Minch University in Ethiopia.

“Today we made a farewell program for South Sudanese students who passed entrance exams to study masters’ programs in various fields,” Mahdi said.

He disclosed that the students will study engineering, health, geology, anesthesia and others.

The Ethiopian government through it’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology has offered scholarships to 214 students in 2024.

The governments of South Sudan and Ethiopia signed MoU in 2023 that provides opportunity for South Sudanese to study in Ethiopian universities.

Madhi said that the new team will join both undergraduate and postgraduate students currently studying at different universities in Ethiopia.

“A few months ago we made farewell to the undergraduate program students and then now to master programs and then we will continue on TVET,” he said.

Dr. Justo Wani Jada, Director General for Training and External Relations at the Ministry of Higher Education urged the beneficiaries to study and engage more with Ethiopian people to acquire knowledge and learn about their cultures.

“We want you to be polite as you can interacting with our brothers in Ethiopia and don’t make yourself different, we are all the same, and we are all brothers and sisters and our history is very long,” Wani said.

Wani said that the scholarships would allow South Sudanese to study and be able to know the people of Ethiopia and the long history that the two countries share.

“And through that history, we don’t want to spoil it and that is why the Ethiopian government is trying to help us because of long history and we want you to maintain that long history,” he said.

Rita Philip Augustino, one of the beneficiaries expressed profound gratitude to the government of Ethiopia for granting them scholarship to further their studies.

“I am delighted with what South Sudan and the government of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia have done to us by giving us the chance to go for our studies, we are happy that they have already told us that we are going to our second home,” Philip said.

On November 22, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia increased the number of scholarships for South Sudanese students from 100 to 150.

The Ethiopian government previously provided scholarships for both postgraduate and undergraduate students and also Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET) for 60 students.

Since 2015, close to 170 South Sudanese medical doctors have obtained scholarships for specialization in various fields in Ethiopian universities.