ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) – Cuba says it will continue to provide scholarships to Caribbean nationals in higher education as Dominica on Thursday marks the 35th anniversary of the first ever scholarship granted by Havana.

Cuba’s Ambassador to Dominica, Juan Carlos Formeta de la Rosa, said Havana had made the promise to continue and increase the scholarships during the last Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-Cuba summit held in his country last December.

He said Havana had pledged scholarships to Dominica in the areas of medicine “and other careers.

“For that I am very optimistic that the scholarships programme will continue. I can say to Dominica people we have been helping and we will continue helping the Dominican people in order to …prepare the human resources in Dominica”.

He said Havana was willing to help the Caribbean despite the trade and economic embargo imposed by Washington over the past four decades.

Cuba first provided scholarships to Dominican nationals in November 1979 soon after the island was devastated by Hurricane David and the Dominica Guild of Cuban Graduates in collaboration with the Cuban Embassy here will stage a panel discussion on Thursday examining the impact of the initiative.

“At that time, the Cubans were quite clear; they said that they wanted to train Dominican young people whom, after the crisis, would come back to Dominica in a few years to help in the development of the country,” said president of the Dominica Guild of Cuban Graduates, Severin McKenzie.

Among the graduates of the Cuban scholarship programmes are Health and Environment Minister Dr Kenneth Darroux, a medical practitioner, attorney and political economist Julien Prevost, and Dr Worrel Sanford, a dermatologist.