Sixty-five Gambian students who are beneficiaries of the Venezuela International Students Scholarship program Tuesday paid a courtesy call on the President Alhaji Dr. Yahya Jammeh at State House. The group which is the first official batch of Gambian students to be dispatched to Venezuela , will be pursing degree courses in the fields of Medicine, engineering, industrial technology, agriculture, telecommunication and Information Technology among others.

Addressing the beneficiaries, President Jammeh disclosed that more Gambian students are being accepted into Taiwanese institutions of learning. This he said was as a result of the good records registered by the first batch of Gambian students to Taiwan . President Jammeh therefore implored the students to take their academic work seriously, unite and be good ambassadors.  The Gambian leader also dilated on the issue of students who normally abscond and caution that if such a thing should happen again, government will ensure that all members of the culprit's family will not be granted scholarship for both local and international studies.  

In a goodwill gesture aimed at helping the students to settle well and facilitate their academic work, President Jammeh pledged 500 US Dollars as well as a laptop to each student. He added that those who continue to perform very well will be given the opportunity to come home for holidays on an annual or biennial basis.

he Secretaries of State Crispin Grey Johnson, Fatim Badjie and Omar Touray, issued words of advise, and encouragement to the students. They particularly laid emphasis on the need for the students to take the virtues of discipline and patriotism.