Ten Seychellois students will be granted higher education scholarships every year under a newly signed agreement between the Seychelles' Ministry of Education and Hungary.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in a ceremony at the Ministry of Education's headquarters by Minister Justin Valentin and the Hungarian Ambassador to Seychelles, Zsolt Meszaros, on Thursday.

As part of this agreement, which is for cooperation within the framework of the Stipendum Hungaricum Programme for the years 2023-2026, the 10 students from Seychelles will receive scholarships to Hungary every year in various fields.

The principal secretary for Education, Merna Eulentin, said that the signing of this MoU, "shows the excellent bilateral ties that exist between the two countries, with regards to cooperation in higher education. This will lead to human resource development of the people of Seychelles."

The first agreement was signed in October 2020 and ended in 2023.

"It is a pleasure for me to continue to see young Seychellois students go to Hungary and then come back to help build the nation," said Meszaros.

There are currently 25 Seychellois students studying in Hungary among which 11 are under the newly signed agreement in the areas, which include social work, commerce, international relations and veterinary science.

Fourteen others are in the areas of medicine under another agreement.  

Valentin said that any student who would like the opportunity to study in Hungary can get in touch with officers from the ministry, who will be able to guide them on how to apply and answer any other queries.

Hungary's scholarship programme for foreign students has existed since 2013 and some 10,000 students from 70 countries have benefited from it.  

Hungary has a long tradition of higher education reflecting the existence of an established knowledge economy. The established universities in Hungary include some of the oldest in the world. The first was the University of Pécs, founded in 1367, which is still functioning.

The central European country attracts foreign students from both the EU and non-EU countries.

In Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, students qualify for government scholarships according to the results of their Advanced Level studies according to the UK qualifications system.

They are expected to return to Seychelles after they complete their studies and sign an agreement to work for a period of time in an endeavour to contribute to the country's progress.