Over $300,000 being distributed among 606 students in SVG

Over $300,000 is being distributed to students in St Vincent and the Grenadines, who were successful at the 2013 sitting of CXC CSEC, GCE A Level and CXC CAPE examinations.

On Tuesday, eligible students at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College each received EC$500 from Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, for achieving the set criteria at the CSEC and Advanced Level examinations.

Gonsalves explained that the individuals who will be rewarded with the money are those who passed a minimum of five subjects at CXC CSEC level, including Mathematics and English.

Additionally, to be eligible to receive their monetary reward, students who sat the A Level/CAPE examinations must have passed any two advanced level subjects plus Communication Studies, or Caribbean Studies at CAPE or General Paper at A Level.

“We have an increase in the number of awardees at the CXC (CSEC) level by about 12 and a half per cent and from the A Level/CAPE about 19 per cent, with the increase in aggregate, an average of 15 per cent,” the Prime Minister revealed.

“I’m very pleased to see that there is such an increase. I believe that many of you are suggesting that we make it more difficult for you to get the $500.”

Suggesting how the criteria could be modified, Gonsalves said “at CXC, if you have all your subjects, minimum twos or perhaps even better to say that you get at least three ones” and “for the CAPE, you shouldn’t get less than a three and at GCE, maybe you shouldn’t get less than a C or a D.”

Gonsalves apologized to students for delivering their awards late.

“I’m sorry that the $500, that the money is coming after Independence. I normally want to have the money delivered to you before Independence, because I know many of you would want the 500 dollars in some cases to help to pay for the registrations for your examinations and things like that. But I think you’re…still in line to do that, so that’s comforting,” he said.

After revealing that the Government currently spends 28 per cent of its recurrent budget for recurrent expenditure on education, the Prime Minister assured students that the Government will continue to “deepen and broaden” the Education Revolution.

This year, 606 students qualified to receive monetary rewards; 337 students being CSEC awardees and 289 being A Level/CAPE awardees.

The system of awarding students who achieve the set criteria at the CSEC and CAPE/A level with cash payments of $500 was introduced by the Prime Minister in 2005.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Nicole Bonadie-Baker stated that students who did not receive their money at Tuesday’s event, could collect it at the ministry on weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Students must present a valid form of identification.

If a student sends someone to collect the cash on their behalf, Bonadie-Baker stressed that the person collecting the money should come to the ministry equipped with two valid forms of identification, one form of identification of the beneficiary, and a letter of authorization from the beneficiary, which gives permission to the individual to collect on their behalf.(BK)