Basseterre: St. Kitts, March 26, 2021: Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Education, Honourable Shawn Richards presented awards to 13 students from across the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education for their academic performance.
The Constituency 5 Empowerment Award ceremony was held March 25 at the Calvary Baptist Tabernacle, Romney Ground, Sandy Point. Mr. Richards noted that he will continue his relationship with education because of his belief that education is the foundation for life’s advancement.
“I do believe that education lays the foundation for so many other things in life,” he stated.
Chair of the Scholarship Awards committee and Assistant Secretary within the Ministry of Education, Dr Tricia Esdaille, in her overview of the awards said, “The award is meant to acknowledge promise, potential and it is also meant to meet a financial need, to help families to support their children in their transitions around the education system”.
The award ceremony is in its fourth year of service to assist the parents of students who are transitioning from one level of education to another. Thus, eligible students leaving pre-school and transitioning to primary school, those transitioning from primary school to form 1 and those transitioning from form five to the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College received the scholarship.
Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Education, Mr William Vincent Hodge, appealed to the public to contribute to this initiative so as to extend its lifespan of service to the residents within the constituency. Mr. Hodge pledged his commitment of $500 to each awardee transitioning from the primary level to the secondary level of education.
“I have committed myself to give the amount of money that will cover the students going from primary school to form one in high school. Each recipient will receive $500.00. I have committed myself to covering that group”, he said.
According to the permanent secretary we can applaud officials like Minister Richards for what he is doing but we ourselves must seek to do our part in helping to advance education in the Federation.
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