Dr Jassim Al-hamdan and Her Excellency Haja Ishata Thomas
By Cyril Barnes
Sierra Leone Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, Her Excellency Haja Ishata Thomas, has held fruitful discussions with Dr. Jassim Al-hamdan, Dean of Students Affairs of the University of Kuwait, to increase the admission quota for Sierra Leonean students.
The two countries ratified the Education Agreement in 2021, allowing the State of Kuwait to allocate four scholarship slots annually to the Republic of Sierra Leone for eligible Sierra Leoneans to study in the State of Kuwait, as part of the implementation of the agreement. Currently, Sierra Leone has only one student admitted to the University.
Conveying appreciation for the meeting, Ambassador Thomas explained President Dr Julius Maada Bio’s flagship Free Quality Education programme in his first term in office, which culminated in an unprecedented increase in enrollment. Given its impact, she added that the Free Quality Education programme has been subsumed into his Five (5) Big Game Changers agenda for his second term. She spoke on a range of issues requiring the attention of the relevant authorities in the University. She explained that since the scholarship quota was allocated two years ago, Sierra Leoneans have been challenged to be admitted to the University. Her Excellency also informed the Dean about the arduous task of certifying documents through Kuwait’s Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, stating that the State of Kuwait is yet to establish a resident diplomatic mission in Freetown, Sierra Leone, which had made it difficult to certify applicants’ documents through their embassy in Dakar. “I wish to request your guidance in the criteria to study in various fields at the University.
Additionally, I would be grateful if modalities are put in place to certify our applicants’ documents here in Kuwait. Postgraduate studies are also critical to His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio’s agenda for human capital development. We look forward to postgraduate programmes and also the University’s favourable consideration to providing more scholarships for Sierra Leoneans intending to study in various fields, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), arts, social sciences, and Arabic Literature,” Ambassador Thomas stated.
In his response, Dr. Jassim Al-Hamdan, Dean of Students Affairs, welcomed the idea of admitting more Sierra Leonean students to Kuwait University, assuring the University’s commitment to increasing the quota for Sierra Leone. He noted that the University would advise on the concerns discussed regarding criteria for admission and areas of study, which will be officially communicated.
Ambassador Ishata also met with Professor Fayiz M. Aldhafeeri, Acting Secretary-General of Kuwait University, where they discussed initiating student and lecturer exchange programmes between the two countries. Kuwait University is the State of Kuwait’s national university, leading in higher education and scientific research. The University was established in 1966 as the state’s first public institution of higher education and research. It has made significant advances since its establishment nearly fifty years ago. It has evolved into a multi-faculty institution of higher education, comprising sixteen colleges offering ninety-two undergraduate and eighty-nine graduate programs.
