Four more M’sian students to study medicine in Havana under Cuban govt scholarship
Posted on August 25, 2012, Saturday
PETALING JAYA: Four Malaysian students will leave for Havana Cuba, on Sunday to study medicine under scholarships sponsored by the Cuban government.
Cuban Embasador to Malaysia, Ruben Valdes said they would join another 28 Malaysian students still studying at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Havana under the scholarship programme which was introduced six years ago.
“The course takes seven years to complete and the first batch of the Malaysian students are expected to graduate in 2014,” he told reporters after officiating the scholarship awards ceremony here yesterday.
Valdes said during the first year the students were required to master Spanish, the medium of instruction at the university.
On the value of scholarships, Valdes said it varied, but each students only paid for their flight to and from Cuba, while others costs including accomodation, books, equipment, tuition fees and allowances were included in the scholarships.
One of the recipients from the 2010 batch, Thanussha Francis Xavier, 21, from Taiping Perak, said she was thankful for the scholarship and hoped more deserving students would get their chance to pursue their dreams in education.
Thanusha, who is in her second year and scored 10 A’s in her SPM in 2008, described life in Cuba as different and the opportunity to study abroad had opened her eyes and appreciate Malaysia even more.
A new recipient, Vinodh Sethumadavan, 17 from Klang, who scored 9 A’s and 1 B in his SPM last year, said that he understood that he had to sacrifice seven years without being with his family but they were the reason why he had vowed to make a difference in his future. — Bernama
From the New Straits Times:
http://www.nst.com.my/nation/
From The Star: http://thestar.com.my/news/
Headline: Heading for a Cuban adventure (This article is with a video clip)
