For the first time in the his­tory of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Navy arm, a female officer has been offered a scholarship to pursue further studies overseas.

Midshipwoman Esita Batiniqila received her four-year scholarship to study Naval Ship Service Command and Naval Military Science from Da­lian University in Liaoning.

She and a colleague were handed their tickets and necessary documents during a ceremony at the Chinese Embassy in Suva yester­day.

“Being the first female to be given such a huge opportunity was an honourable moment for me."

“It is a challenge for me especially being one of the few officers to be given this opportunity and I know that I have to prove myself well so other officers can be given the opportunities as well,” Midshipwoman Batiniqila said.

“I want to learn on the strength of women in the Chinese Navy so I could come back set an example to the 25 other female navy officers in the RFNS.”

This year has been a historic one for the Navy having succeeded in its long overdue bid to recruit women into its ranks.

Commander Captain (Navy) Humphrey Tawake said the schol­arships were an opportunity to enhance the cooperation between China and Fiji along with the defence relationships between the two countries.

“We are grateful to the People’s Republic of China for providing us with an opportunity through these scholarships for our officers,” Captain (Navy) Tawake said.

“We sincerely appreciate China being our genuine partner in the defence relations.

“It offers us equal opportunities for professional training not only in the Navy but also in other military departments.

“It is the first time we are sending a female officer to study the initial officers training, which has the professional development components of training.