STUDENTS FROM AFRICA

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30066, 26 February 1963, Page 21

STUDENTS FROM AFRICA

’ Private Board Required

The current campaign to secure accommodation in private homes in Christchurch for overseas students includes young Africans here under the Special Commonwealth Aid for Africa Plan.

African countries taking part in this programme are Kenya, Tanganyika, Rhodesia, Nyasaland, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and Siers Leone. Under New Zealand awards, several of which have been granted since the inception <A the plan, it is expected about 80 African students will be here by the beginning of the 1963 academic year. The plan was established at a meeting of the Commonwealth Economic Consultative Committee in September, 1960, to assist Commonwealth

countries in Africa that had recently attained or were approaching independence. The New Zealand Government approved expenditure up to £lOO,OOO a year starting in the 1961-62 financial year. Initial offers of assistance by this country have been mainly for undergraduate study courses here: experience under the Colombo Plan has shown that New Zealand can offer valuable training in technical education, agriculture, engineering and mining, dairy technology,, and school dental nursing. Of particular interest to this country is the establishment of a school dental service in Ghana on the lines of the New Zealand scheme. A senior official of the Ghanaian Health Department Studied the administration of the scheme here in 1961, and since then several Ghanaian girls have begun two-year training courses at the Wellington Dental Clinic. Initially the plan has been confined to Commonwealth countries in Africa, but it may be expanded to cover all African countries.