Govt ready to honour scholarship pledge to top performing students

May 17, 2013 News

Government is prepared to honour its commitment to the two top performing candidates of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) respectively. This announcement was recently made by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, as she hosted a press conference.
President Ramotar at the 16th National Awards Ceremony of the Ministry of Education in October of last year revealed that the two top performers of either examination will automatically become qualified for scholarships to attend institutions of higher learning in any field of their choice.
According to the President, “We are giving more scholarships than ever to students of this country to attend institutions of higher learning in Guyana and abroad. I have instructed our colleagues in the Cabinet to see that the top two students from CSEC and CAPE be given scholarships automatically to study here (Guyana) or overseas.”
The President premised his decision on recognition of the important role that education plays in the area of national development. He pointed to the fact that Guyana has directed some $30 billion to the social sector of which the education system is a major part, even as he added that “investing in our country is investing in our future.”
According to Minister Manickchand, the scholarship programme is set to become effective shortly. Top performers of the examinations last year, some of whom have already been accepted to universities, will become the first recipients of the scholarships and will be able to access it as soon as it is required, said Manickchand.
“Not all of them have entered into universities as yet, they usually take a while to get accepted and determine what courses they are doing. The scholarship will be effected as soon as they (students) require the funding.”
The Education Minister also sought to highlight that in the last six years, except 2010, Guyanese candidates had topped the Caribbean at the CSEC examination.
“We have also repeatedly received first prize in several subject areas,” she emphasised.
Moreover, she disclosed that the President had announced the scholarship programme in hope that it would help to alleviate the hurdles that could confront students as they seek to further studies. These students, she noted, are essentially ‘gifts to the world’ and as such “President Donald Ramotar informed that the two top performers at CSEC and the two top performers at CAPE would be beneficiaries of Government scholarships to pursue studies at universities of their choice in any field.”

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