by Donella Hosten
The Government of Grenada has again partnered with the St George’s University (SGU) to afford a number of students the opportunity to further their education.
The areas of study range from Undergraduate programs to Graduate programs, all of which are expected to be beneficial to Grenada’s development. The value of the scholarships awarded for this year totaled approximately $19 million for 48 students.
In an award ceremony held on Thursday, 2 February 2017, at the Public Workers Union Building, Minister for Education, Hon. Anthony Boatswain reminded the recipients of their obligation to give back to their country upon completion of their studies. He said that too often, persons who receive scholarships, especially in the field of medicine, do not return to serve their country.
In order to alleviate this problem, Government has implemented a new Bonding Policy which is currently being enforced. Scholarship recipients are required to serve their country upon completion of their studies, however, if they are unable to find employment within the country, other provisions will be made by the necessary authorities. Failure to comply with Government’s Bonding Policy can result in the student having to pay back the scholarship’s value.
The Minister reminded them that the resources spent on them is an investment. In speaking about the selection of the recipients, Minister of State, Sen. Simon Steill, noted that the areas chosen were those which would benefit Grenada development. These included areas such as Sociology, Marine Biology, Information Technology, Psychology, which “are all areas that are directly related to Grenada’s national development,” and “as a Government, these are some of the areas that they seek to invest in.”
SGU’s Assistant Dean of Enrollment and Planning, Colin Dowe, reminisced on the importance of reflecting on the strength of the partnership between SGU and the Government. “This investment is really about your development… the upliftment of families, upliftment of communities, upliftment for us as a people.”
Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Kevin Andall, in his brief address said this “signals the public and private partnership between the Government of Grenada [and] the St George’s University, in its attempt to develop the human resource stock in this beautiful island of Grenada.”
Andall said this partnership is used to showcase potential agents of change, as well as to strengthen the relationship between SGU and the people of Grenada. “It is also a point of reflection to you the awardees, of how fortunate you are to start the journey of fulfilling your dreams.”
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