THREE lecturers at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) will undertake postgraduate studies in fisheries in South Korea.
This is made possible under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Solomon Islands National University on 7th May 2014.
KOICA is the international development arm of the South Korean Government.
The scholarship offers followed a visit by the Korean Implementation Survey Team organised to SINU from February 28 to March 8, 2014.
Under the MOU signed during the visit, a project for Establishment and Capacity Building of The Fisheries Studies in Solomon Islands was established.
As a part of this project, KOICA offered scholarships to three Solomon Islanders to follow postgraduate degree programs in Pu Kyung National University in South Korea.
Two of them will undertake masters degree programs in fisheries and return to SINU while the third student will continue to complete a PhD in fisheries before returning to SINU.
The Country Director of KOICA in Solomon Islands, Jin Kyung Kim coordinated this program.
Last Friday at a brief ceremony at SINU in the presence of visiting Professors from South Korea, Country Director of KOICA and senior SINU management, the students were introduced to the visitors and signed agreements to return to SINU on completion of their studies.
KOICA will make US$7.0 million (SBD$42 million) available for the entire project.
Also under the project, KOICA will help SINU to develop a master plan for the establishment and management of the Fisheries Studies.
It will also establish training facilities, including lecture halls, labs, faculty research offices, and others.
Two senior academic from South Korea, Professor Sang-Go Lee and Visiting Professor Kang Kyoungmi of Pu kyong National University in South Korea are in Honiara for two weeks of discussion with SINU staff.