The Da Nang banking industry-launched scholarship programme has accompanied thousands of poor yet studious students city-wide to pursue their academic dreams. With the advocacy of the Da Nang Branch of the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV), more and more banks participate in this programme contributing to spreading human values in life.

Illustrative image. (Photo: https://thoibaonganhang.vn/)

The above-mentioned scholarship programme has been jointly implemented by the Da Nang Study Promotion Association and the Da Nang Branch of SBV since 2013 in order to support poor students who overcome difficulties and study well. Under the program, the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) mobilises bank branches and representative offices of credit institutions across the city to donate at least VND 3 million/year/unit to have a minimum of VND 200 million in scholarships per academic year.

According to the Da Nang Branch of SBV, up to now, there are 67 banks and credit institutions participating in contributing to the study promotion fund to grant scholarships to pupils. All units contributed to meeting and exceeding the set targets.

Over the past 10 years of implementation, the local banking industry’s scholarship programme has raised more than VND 4.5 billion to support and encourage thousands of studious pupils in the city to steadily go to school.

Over the past 5 years alone, bank branches and credit institutions in the city have supported nearly VND 1.7 billion in scholarships. In particular, there are many banks contributing dozens of times more than the target such as the Da Nang Branch of the Saigon Commercial Joint Stock Bank with a contribution of more than VND 450 million in 2016, 2017, 2018 and Kien Long Commercial Joint Stock Bank with over VND 600 million in donations in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Every year, the Da Nang Study Promotion Association and the Da Nang Branch of SBV jointly organise scholarship awards at the beginning of the new school year. The list of scholarship recipients is surveyed and selected by the Education Promotion Association at all levels based on the criteria of students from poor, disadvantaged households, and with good or better academic performance.

Each eligible pupil receives VND2 million worth of scholarship. Children with special circumstances and who study well are also recommended by the Study Promotion Association to receive other scholarships to have more motivation on their academic path.

For example, Hoang Phuong Nam, an orphaned student at the University of Education, a  member school Da Nang University was nominated by the Da Nang Study Promotion Association to receive a scholarship worth VND 5 million from SHB. He also received the Nguyen Thanh Lan scholarship for four years at university with a total value of VND80 million.

In another outstanding case, Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, a 9^th grade student at Nguyen Trai Junior High School in Thanh Khe District, was orphaned and raised up in a poor family. Despite these disadvantages in her life,  she has still recorded good academic performances, and deserved a scholarship from the city's banking industry for the 2020 - 2021 school year.

"The banking industry scholarship helps me have more study conditions, and at the same time giving me more motivation to strive to study well.”, Tam said in happily.

The companionship of banks and credit institutions in implementing the banking industry’s scholarship programme has truly become a humanitarian activity, spreading positive social effects, changing the future of many poor pupils and students.

Director of the Da Nang Branch of SBV Vo Minh said that his agency is, for the time being, promoting campaign and send open letters to the head offices of commercial banks in provinces and cities for more resources in support for poor students who are studious.

Mr. Minh himself also actively mobilised his friends and colleagues to join forces to support this study promotion fund in a bid to help students in difficult circumstances get ahead in life.

“Education is the foundation for building and developing people. Therefore, the Da Nang Branch of SVB will continue to maintain and develop this scholarship programme to provide more motivation for poor students who are studious to go to school, thereby contributing to the development of education and creating quality human resources for the city in the coming time”, Mr. Minh said.

According to Chairman of the Da Nang Study Promotion Association Nguyen Minh Hung, the scholarship programme has humanistic meaning in significantly rising poor students up in their challenging lives.

“The Da Nang Study Promotion Association, on behalf of the pupils and students across the city, appreciates and is grateful to the people who have participated in accompanying the banking industry in maintaiing this highly practical programme. Hopefully, the pupils and students receiving scholarships will overcome difficulties, excel in their studies, and contribute to the development of the city and the country at large in the future," Mr. Hung emphasised.

Reporting by KHOI NGUYEN - Translating by A.THU