FOUR Jamaican students will have the opportunity to pursue medical degrees in Cuba this September under the Jamaica/Cuba Bilateral Scholarship Programme.

The scholarship, administered by the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in conjunction with the Scholarship Unit of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, made the lives of Toni-Ann Nelson, Janelle Tennant, Mikhail Burke and Oraine Lynch much easier.

The students have received full seven-year scholarships under the programme which together value approximately $20 million.

State Minister in the Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Ministry Julian Robinson said the selection process was not easy and asked that the recipients make a valuable contribution to society when they complete their studies.

“The primary reason why the selection process is as rigorous is to ensure that those of you who benefit recognise the benefit and commit to coming back here to strengthen our society,” he said.

Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica Yuri Gala Lopez said that despite economic challenges the country [Cuba] kept the programme going. He said more than 29,000 young people from 115 countries are studying in Cuba as part of the country’s scholarship programme. Of that total, close to 19,000 are from Latin America and the Caribbean. Over 55,000 youngsters from 134 countries have graduated from Cuban universities under the scholarship programme since its inception about four or five decades ago, Lopez said. Over 200 Jamaican young people are studying in Cuban universities with the majority pursuing medicine.