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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Minister of Education, Science and Technology the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald addresses Bursary Scholarship Winners at The College of The Bahamas, August 19 at the Performing Arts Centre. Seated are Ministry of Education officials and the President of The College of The Bahamas Dr. Rodney Smith centre. (BIS Photo/Raymond A. Bethel, Sr.)
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NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Education, Science and Technology the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald was pleased to congratulate 433 recipients of the Bursary Scholarship, tenable at The College of The Bahamas, at a special ceremony at the College of The Bahamas Performing Arts Centre, August 19, 2015. The scholarship provides deserving young Bahamians with access to tertiary education.
Minister Fitzgerald said it was a privilege to award yet another fine group of scholarship recipients.
Bursary Scholarship Awardees. (BIS Photo/Raymond A. Bethel, Sr.)
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He explained that cognizant of the need to provide opportunities for deserving young Bahamians to have access to tertiary education, The Government of The Bahamas made available the Bursary Scholarship, tenable at the College of The Bahamas, so that more students were provided the opportunity to pursue tertiary education.
According to the Minister the Scholarship is valued at around $2,500 per student per semester, or $5,000 per student, per year. He said, “If we multiply that by the 433 students receiving this award today, that's a total of 2.1 million dollars per year paid to the College of The Bahamas, for these deserving recipients."
The Minister thanked all those who made the presentation possible.
He continued: “This scholarship award is one of the oldest in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, dating back to 1978. Since then it has helped to send thousands of young Bahamians from both independent and public schools, to College. This year 110 public school graduates will benefit from the scholarship award and 236 independent high school graduates will benefit. The remaining 87 recipients were applicants of the College of The Bahamas.
Bursary Scholarship Awardees. (BIS Photo/Raymond A. Bethel, Sr.)
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“The objectives of the award are to:
• Provide Bahamians with qualifications necessary for appointment to positions of responsibility.
• Enable Bahamians to participate in the development and well-being of the country.
• Assist in developing the human resources of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and
• Afford Bahamians access to tertiary education.
Bursary Scholarship Awardees and Parents. (BIS Photo/Raymond A. Bethel, Sr.)
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“This scholarship award would not be possible if our students did not meet the admissions requirements for The College of the Bahamas. These students, hailing from all over the country, are among the best and brightest that our educational system has to offer. All of the scholarship recipients seated here either obtained a minimum of five (5) BGCSE subject passes with a grade of C or above; mathematics and English Language being a compulsory requirement -- or maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and above at The College of The Bahamas. Twenty-two of the recipients have obtained an exceptional ten BGCSE 'A-C' passes, and will be presented with an Outstanding National Bursary Award this evening.
“In order for these students to maintain the scholarship during their time at COB, they must pursue 15 or more credits and maintain a GPA of 3.00 or higher each academic year.
“Also, important to note, students that are already in attendance at the College of The Bahamas may obtain the Bursary Award by maintaining, for a minimum of one year, a grade point average of 3.00 or higher.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this award is something to be proud of. None of the students here have been given a hand out; just a helping hand up.
“For some students, The College of The Bahamas is the only option -- for many others however, COB is their first choice. Students, make the most of your opportunity here and contribute to the College's legacy of excellence. You are entering this institution at a time when great changes are taking place, changes in which you will be involved. Note that when you complete your time here, you will be a graduate of The University of The Bahamas.”
The Minister asked the students to remain committed to excellence and remember their responsibilities to their donor, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas – to do their best and represent the country well: “This upcoming semester, when you find yourself buried beneath a mountain of books or when you find yourself in a lab that is demanding, or when you understand not one word coming out of your Professors mouth, just keep the faith and remember that we, The Government of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas and The College of The Bahamas, believe in you. We believe in spending the resources to develop each and every one of you and we hope that you go on to develop yourselves, and help us to create a stronger and more modern nation.”
© Copyright 2015 by thebahamasweekly.com
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