Prime Minister Godwin Friday is touting Romania as a premier academic destination, emphasizing a growing partnership that offers new avenues for local youth.
Following a “very good effective conversation” with the Romanian ambassador during a CARICOM heads meeting in St. Lucia, Friday revealed that the European nation is eager to continue and strengthen its relationship with St. Vincent and the Grenadines through scholarship offerings.
Friday personally vouched for the quality of Romanian institutions, sharing an anecdote about a close friend who sent his daughter back to Romania for her university education.
He described the country as a “very very good place to study” and framed these international initiatives as part of a broader mission to provide Vincentian youth with the “best opportunities possible” to develop academically.
While Friday is currently highlighting these opportunities, the groundwork for this specific academic bridge was laid during the previous administration. In April 2025, then-Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves announced that eleven fully-funded scholarships would be offered to Vincentians to study at the Transilvania University of Brasov.
This earlier initiative followed a high-level diplomatic visit by Gonsalves to Romania, where he engaged with the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Romania to discuss trade, investment, and business development alongside educational ties.
The scholarships established during that period were designed to be comprehensive, including added benefits such as part-time work allowances for students during their studies.
PM Friday noted that while traditional routes like the University of the West Indies remain vital, his government is actively seeking diverse training avenues through international partners. He linked these scholarship opportunities to other domestic measures aimed at easing the financial burden on students, such as the removal of registration fees for secondary schools and the commitment to pay CXC and CSEC fees.
Urging young Vincentians to be proactive, Friday stated, “There’s a lot of opportunity out there,” and praised students who take the initiative to research and apply for such programs. He concluded that these efforts are essential to building the nation as a country of “merit and opportunity” on the world stage.
