Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones, has issued a call for students attending educational institutions to ???settle down as quickly as possible and get into the business of learning???.
He made this appeal during a presentation ceremony for 18 students of the Barbados Community College, who were awarded ELAP/Canada-CARICOM Scholarships to attend St. Lawrence College, Canadore College and Lampton College, all in Canada.
The Minister noted that although students were expected to make time for recreation and friends, they should be mindful of their grade point averages, and make every effort to improve their grades if they drop below standard.
???A child who fails is a child on whom the investment is lost???and you cannot recover it. And, when you start again, that is an additional investment, so students need to buckle down and ensure that that contribution made by the taxpayers of Barbados is realised by their development and by their success,??? Mr. Jones stressed.
Alluding to the recent Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals, the Education Minister pointed out that providing tertiary education was a costly exercise, and stated: ???We have had to say to students at the University of the West Indies that times are so hard, and resources are so difficult to get, but yet we want to still keep carrying the major part of the load on behalf of taxpayers??????
He also affirmed his Ministry???s commitment to providing the best options for students, but emphasised the need for them to be responsible, committed and productive.
sharifa.medford@barbados.gov.bb