It was at the University of Buea Amphi 150 D that all gathered to watch the launch of a female scholarship scheme, “Women as agents of change,” which according to the organisers, is aimed at promoting postgraduate female studies.
“The aim of the scholarship is to promote the Cameroonian woman academically, given that Cameroonian women contribute much to the economy and should not be neglected,” explained Marceline Hoyle, representative of the British High Commission in Cameroon. She added that the scholarships target students studying law, health and public health with emphasis on maternal health because “Cameroon has not realized even 30 per cent of its goals on maternal health that are intended to be achieved by 2016. The scholarship scheme covers all costs like research, documentation, living and housing, etc. Renewal depends solely on the students’ performance,” Mrs. Hoyle stressed.
In his address, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, Professor Vincent P.K. Titanji, expressed gratitude to the British High Commission and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) for introducing the scholarship programme in his university. He said this would enable University of Buea, UB, to be more competitive with those of other universities in and out of the country. He stressed the importance of UB programmes to establish links with external partners to facilitate the award of scholarships. On behalf of the Head of Department of Women and Gender Studies, Mrs Oben Dorothy, the Coordinator, explained that women face a lot of economic constraints and that empowering them is like keeping the nation healthy as women are nurturers and care givers.
Talking on the requirements of the scholarship, Mrs. Hoyle listed certificates, letters of recommendation, financial statement to prove that the student is incapable of financing her master’s programme and proof of English language aptitude (if not a graduate from the University of Buea). The VSO will take care of administrative and financial management, while the University of Buea will be in charge of monitoring and evaluation.
