The 180 students from 20 schools in Haut-Katanga recently had the opportunity to participate in a lunch organized by the President of the Foundation Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi. The aim of this meeting was to present to them the Excellentia program, which aims to promote academic excellence among young people.
During this event, the first lady of the DRC reminded students of the importance of academic excellence and highlighted that the Excellentia program offers scholarships to winners of the State Examination who obtained at least 85% success. She encouraged young people to seize this opportunity to pursue their university studies both locally and internationally.
In addition to raising awareness of academic excellence, this day was also an opportunity to raise awareness among students about sickle cell anemia, the first genetic disease in the world. Doctor Kadhy Nsingi led an educational session on this disease and the first lady encouraged students to get tested, emphasizing that sickle cell disease had a negative impact on families, lives and society as a whole.
To set an example for future laureates, certain scholarship holders from the first edition of the Excellentia program were invited to participate in this event. Since the launch of the program, 241 scholarship holders have been selected, of which 82 are continuing their studies abroad and 159 are studying in Congolese universities.
The Excellentia program, which runs over a period of ten years, aims to award a total of 1000 local scholarships and 100 international scholarships. This initiative thus contributes to the training of tomorrow’s elite and the promotion of talent and academic excellence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi Foundation thus continues to play a major role in the educational development of the country, by offering higher education opportunities to the most deserving young Congolese. With the Excellentia program, it gives talented students the means to fully realize their potential and contribute to the development of the country.