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| Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Ronald Jones, congratulates National Development Scholar Paul Isaacs, while fellow scholars (from left) Sharon Harris, Andrea Brathwaite and Ramon Husein look on. (A. Miller/BGIS) |
The Government of Barbados has awarded some 11 National Development Scholarships this year to persons pursuing studies in a number of areas considered vital to the development of this country.
Six of the eleven scholars met today with Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Ronald Jones, and other Ministry officials, in the conference room of the Ministry’s Constitution Road, St. Michael headquarters.
While congratulating them on their achievement, Mr. Jones reiterated the commitment of Government to education in this country, noting that even though Barbados was experiencing the effects of the global financial crisis, the Ministry was still carrying on the tradition of awarding such scholarships, which started as far back as 1971.
Minister Jones also urged scholarship winners to see themselves as Ambassadors for Barbados at their respective universities and to return home upon completion of their studies to "give back" to the country that supported them.
The scholarship winners and their areas of study are: Paul Isaacs – Business Intelligence, Sadio Harris – Statistics, Jamilla Cobham – Theatre Management, Ramon Husein – Disaster Management, Marisha McClean – Paediatric Cardiology, Andrea Brathwaite – Education Policy and Planning, Sharon Harris – Language Pathology, Trudy Rowe – Gerontology, Lana Ashby – Copyright Law, Karen Proverbs – Archives Conservation and Jonathan Noel – Urology.??
A special prize was also awarded to Elon Cambridge, who will pursue Environmental Engineering. This award carries the same benefits as a National Development Scholarship.
National Development Scholarships are offered each year to provide training in scarce specialist areas and in fields identified as priorities in the socio-economic development of the country.
Selection is made through a process of interviews by the National Scholarship Committee, chaired by the Deputy Chief Education Officer (Schools) with members drawn from a wide cross-section of institutions within the community.
Applicants must be citizens of Barbados and between the ages of 18 and 40 and should have been accepted at an overseas University to pursue studies in the particular course.
This year, the Government of Barbados has spent some $900,000 which will include airfare to and from the country of study, tuition, an allowance, books and warm clothing, if necessary.