THE Provincial Board of Negros Occidental approved in its regular session yesterday a resolution providing authority to Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the province and h a non-government organization (NGO) in Japan providing Japanese language scholarships program.
First District Board Member Rolando Ponsica, chairman committee on education, said the provincial government has tied up with Japan Doctors’ and Citizen’s Network for Home Care Supporting in giving free Japanese language training for nurses and nursing students in the province.
Ponsica said that under the agreement, the Japanese-based NGO will shoulder all expenses for recipients who will be identified by the provincial government, and will undergo training in Japan.
The training is relative to the promotion of Nihongo and those trained to become well-versed in Japanese language will have the opportunity to acquire employment in Japan and other countries using the language.
“This is a big opportunity for the province since it will not spend a single centavo to train qualified nurses and students who may be employed mainly in medical and caregiving establishments in Japan,” Ponsica said.
The board member added that members of the Japanese organization are arriving in the province next week to decide how many scholars they will sponsor.
Once they will be employed in Japan, surely Negrense nurses will earn more than what is offered locally, Ponsica said.
The program will also address issues on unemployment among nurses in the province, he noted.