The 2012 Government of The Bahamas National Scholarship Programme has been modified in order to reflect national goals.
Jerome Fitzgerald, Minister of Education, Science and Technology expressed his appreciation to all persons who submitted applications for the opportunity to be considered for a National Merit, National Academic, National Technical and National Grant Award and noted that the Scholarship & Educational Loan Division received over one-thousand, six-hundred applications this year.
Unfortunately, due primarily to budget constraints reasons and persons failing to meet qualification standards, it was impossible to award scholarships to all that applied. This year, the National Scholarship Committee selected some 350 persons to receive scholarships through this programme.
Minister Fitzgerald noted that the committee was mandated to observe the following criteria in the process:
- selections must be fair and objective
- selections must be based on an applicant’s academic performance
- selections must take into account the financial need of the applicant
- give priority to areas of study that are of importance for national development of our country and in line with the policies outlined in our Charter for Governance
- give priority to those wishing to pursue tertiary education at The College of The Bahamas, other local tertiary institutions, and accredited institutions in the region.
The Minister acknowledged that the applicants who did not receive a grant will be disappointed however he encouraged them to remain focused as we work steadfastly to grow and develop our nation.
“I would like to encourage persons who were unsuccessful, and all young Bahamians leaving high school, to strongly consider the College of The Bahamas and other local and regional colleges and universities as viable options. These institutions offer quality education, a wide variety offering at a significantly reduced cost compared with institutions in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom,” the Minister stated.
The Government’s policy to provide tuition scholarships to every Bahamian who wants to attend The College of The Bahamas provided they were accepted, and that they achieved five BGCSE’s with C and above, inclusive of Math and English Language is still enforced. This year, the Ministry will provide awards to over 600 young people pursuing teaching, nursing, and other disciplines at the College of The Bahamas. The Government of The Bahamas provides an 80% tuition subsidy to all Bahamians attending the University of The West Indies.
In concluding his statement Minister Fitzgerald thanked members of the National Scholarship Committee for the mammoth task that they had to accomplish in such a short time and in light of the current budgetary constraints.
He also commended the successful applicants and wished them well in their educational pursuits and encouraged them to take careful advantage of this opportunity.
“Study hard, get great grades, maintain a 3.0 average or above and complete your degree” is the advice the Minister Fitzgerald had for the successful students. “We need you to assist in building our nation.” Successful applicants will be contacted by the Scholarship & Educational Loan Division to inform of them of their award and other pertinent details.
