Students benefit from Foreign Affairs bursaries

The government, through an initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has helped ease the financial burden associated with going back to school.

Sixty-eight students, from throughout the length and breadth of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) each received EC$350 on Friday, August 19, during a ceremony which was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ conference room.{{more}} The money came in the form of bursaries from Friends of St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Vincentian diaspora in the United Kingdom (UK) and was facilitated by the SVG High Commissioner to the UK Cenio Lewis.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Straker said that the bursaries were aimed at the most needy persons in every constituency. Straker, speaking to a packed conference room, told the gathering that he knows what it is to be poor and needy, as he himself grew up that way. He stressed that it was with this knowledge that he seeks to help the less fortunate in society and, as a result, asked Lewis to assist with securing the money.

“I do that with the full understanding, the full meaning of what it is to be poor. Many of you here do not understand what it means or what it is to be poor, because you have come into a bigger, brighter world where things are in greater abundance”, stressed Straker, who encouraged the recipients to make full use of the educational opportunity that they are being afforded.

Straker told the gathering that they must not take the bursary for granted because somebody somewhere worked hard for the money to be able to make the contribution. “Many parents were wondering where they will be getting money to buy uniform and books, but here you have a contribution from people in the UK,” said Straker, who encouraged parents to work with their children and not leave it up to the teachers alone.

The Foreign Minister also revealed that soon, 10 computers, two of these laptops, will be handed over to the learning resource centre in Layou, compliments Taiwan. He said that donations like the bursaries, assist with educating the populace.

Lewis also addressed the gathering. The diplomat said that while the money is “a small amount”, he hopes that it would be used wisely. He stressed that education is important and this Government has made tremendous strides in educating people here.

He disclosed that the money for the bursaries was raised through the UK and Europe diaspora, the honorary consul in Egypt and an ambassador in Paris. He added that he is working on making a bigger contribution next year.

“Sometimes you can see the opportunity, but you can’t grasp it, because you don’t have the resources to do so. This donation is to assist with purchasing books and other school material,” said Lewis.(LC)