New department to handle scholarships
ALL scholarships will now be handled by the President’s Office under the Presidential and National Scholarships Department.
Previously, the scholarships were handled by the Presidential Scholarships Department and various ministries.
Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Christopher Mushohwe, who is also director of the Presidential Scholarships Programme, told The Herald yesterday that all scholarships from whatever ministry will be handled by the standalone department.
“All scholarships are now being handled by the department in the President’s Office.
“The department used to be called Presidential Scholarships and the new department is now called the Presidential and National Scholarships Department,” he said.
Dr Mushohwe emphasised the need for the public to know this new development.
“If there are problems with children on scholarship abroad, parents and guardians know there is now one department to handle that,” said Dr Mushohwe.
Addressing students at a farewell ceremony for 49 students going to study in China at State House in Harare yesterday, President Mugabe said: “We noticed that quite a number of scholarships offered by several countries in the world, offered to us through the ministry of education and other ministries had not been taken up. They just went into extinction. They become forgotten.”
“Naturally, this aroused my concern and hunger. That is why I said all scholarships, whichever way they were given, whether through the ministry of higher education, ministry of foreign affairs, mines ministry or labour, we will handle them in the President’s Office and examine them and also assist the students to make their choices.”