Scholarship Tells The Warm Love

President Kim Il Sung said:

"We took a state measure to grant stipends to students at colleges and specialized schools. This was not because we are sufficient in everything or the country is rich. At present, we have many difficulties in finance, but took such a step because the work of training our own cadres is so important."

President Kim Il Sung always set the education of rising generations and the training of national cadres as a fundamental issue on which final consequence of the revolution and future destiny of the nation depend. The President bestowed love and benevolence upon students of the whole country even caring for their study and life from the days of founding the country to the last days of his life.

Many stories are told about his love for the rising generations and the future of the country. It includes one that, even in difficult situation after the liberation, the President adopted the decision, the first one in our country, on granting state stipends to students of universities and colleges.

In our country, the system of scholarship was established in September 1947. However, only few know the fact that, even before the system was in place, students of Kim Il Sung University were conferred scholarship with the President's love.

In the first days of the university, students from families of workers, peasants and civil servants of national agencies could not afford the expenses, and some of them even left university.

On April 28, 1947, the anti-Japanese war heroine Kim Jong Suk visited the university after acquainting herself with the situation.

She exchanged greetings with an official of the university, who was surprised at her visit. She told him she came to the university to see how students were living, and asked if it was true that some students abandoned their study because of their poor living conditions. The official said in a stern voice that two or three students from each class left university. Then she said as follows: Now the country's economic situation is not favourable so that full condition is not provided for students. But students could study very hard overcoming those trials and they should prepare themselves as national cadres.

A month later, on May 26, the President met officials and student representatives of the university.

The President acquainted himself with their living conditions and said that from the establishment of the university, we took measures to preferentially admit children of workers and peasants, who suffered from the exploitation of Japanese imperialists but sufficient conditions are not yet provided for their studying. He continued that though our economic situation is difficult, we are about to confer scholarship on half of students of universities and colleges then children of workers and peasants whose living conditions are poor could study by the favour of the state.

He also added that the state would also provide clothes for students so that they can settle down and concentrate on studying.

The scholarship was, in fact, one of the problems that the President had in mind even before the establishment of the university.

In late June of 1946 when many suggestions were being made as to the formation of the student population, the President met members of the preparatory committee for founding the university at the office building of the Provisional People's Committee and took a measure to organize a preparatory course and stressed that scholarship, textbooks and school supplies should be supplied to the students despite the difficult economic situation.

At the end of talk the President stressed that students should study to their heart's content at the supreme institute of science and become excellent talents, who contribute to the building of the democratic, sovereign and independent state.

In June 1947, the 40th meeting of the People's Committee adopted the decision on conferring scholarship on students of universities and specialized schools.

With the decision was published, the whole country was enveloped with enthusiasm, and parents of students shed tears of gratitude.

In the difficult situation after the liberation, the establishment of the university was a great benefit and resolute decision of the state. The conferring of scholarship was of indefinite value.

After the decision was made public, the President inquired about the studying of students and said that we should bring back the students who left the university because of their difficult living conditions and confer scholarship on them.

Thanks to his warm love and benevolence, many students attended the university again receiving school supplies free of charge along with the scholarship.

Indeed, the President was a benevolent father and teacher who devoted his all for the rising generation.