 Nine Saint Lucians have gotten opportunities to study medicine in Taiwan, whilst another nine have been awarded Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs MOFA Scholarships. Eleven other Saint Lucians also got the nod to study in the Asian country under the International Cooperation and Development Fund ICDF Scholarship Award. Whilst congratulating recipients, Taiwanese Ambassador to Saint Lucia, his Excellency Peter Shen says the 29 awardees now pursuing higher education in Taiwan set up a sound platform that will further strengthen relations between Saint Lucia and his country Taiwan. Ambassador Shen says interest in Taiwan's scholarships has increased sharply over the years, making competition for awards intense because of the high quality of candidates from different countries. Taiwan Scholarship Program was established from 2007, so since then hundreds of students already awarded scholarships and studied in Taiwan, and the fields are quite diverse including agriculture, information, business and engineering. So we really glad that so many good Saint Lucians students have learned and they have enjoyed their study in Taiwan. Minister for Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training Honorable Sean Edward emphasized the importance for the scholarship recipients to make the best use of the opportunities afforded them. He told Scholarship Awardees that even Taiwan has had to make serious adjustments because of the COVID-19 pandemic but is nonetheless still contributing to the national development of Saint Lucia. And in spite of making their own national domestic adjustments, they still were able to find resources to make scholarships available to the young people of Saint Lucia. And this is not a main feat and this is something we appreciate sincerely Ambassador. And for us it has a lot of significance as a government. Saint Lucia is not one of the most developed countries in the world. We don't have mineral resources to boost up, but we are required to survive and thrive in a very competitive world. Parliamentary Secretary Senator Honorable Dr. Pauline Antoine Prosper also praised Taiwan for its over 20-year relationship in providing opportunities to young Saint Lucians to further their studies. She told Awardees to expect challenges whilst in Taiwan. However, she encouraged them to be resolved to rise above those challenges in order to succeed in their chosen paths. You will miss home. That's normal. You will miss home. You will miss your family. And some of your parents are spoiled. You will miss them. You have to grow up now. You have to be independent. You have to understand that you have to survive on your own. There are so many more Saint Lucians up there and you are going so you can form your partnerships. You ensure that you engage with one another. Support one another. Be there for each other. Taiwan Scholarship Alumni as well as students currently pursuing studies in the Asian nation who are also on hand to provide support to the new batch of scholarship recipients. From the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, I am Chris Satney reporting.