43 Students Receive Academic Scholarships Courtesy S.S.B.
Forty-three young men and women today officially entered into an agreement with the Social Security Board for financial assistance to achieve higher education. The eighteenth annual Social Security Board Scholarship Award ceremony took place today in the Old Capital where students from across the country are seeking to pursue their high school, sixth form, vocational-technical and bachelor’s degree. The recipients must maintain good grades and stay out of trouble to maintain their scholarships. Hipolito Novelo reports.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
Today marks the eighteenth year that the Social Security Board is financially assisting dozens of students countrywide in furthering their education. During a brief scholarship award ceremony in Belize City, the S.S.B. awarded forty-three scholarships to students from across the country. Over the years, the number of recipients has grown substantially.
Colin Young
Dr. Colin Young, C.E.O., S.S.B.
“S.S.B. puts out an annual all for scholarship and persons have to apply online and they could go into the branch in the various district and once those applications are received then they participate in interviews at the level of the branches. Twenty-two at the high school level, sixteen at the high sixth form level, three vocational and two bachelor’s degrees. One of the areas that we have been promoting over the last two years is the vocational scholarships for skills. Unfortunately, we get very few applications for that. This year as you have noticed we only awarded three. For the bachelor’s degree, we have also made a policy decision that would only support S.T.E.M. disciplines, sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. So the two that were awarded today falling into that area.”
According to S.S.B. C.E.O., Doctor Colin Young, the total value of the scholarships awarded is seventy thousand dollars. The recipients successfully met the criteria.
Dr. Colin Young
“There are requirements to meet for the scholarships. You have to have a combined household income of under twenty-five thousand dollars both parents and you have to have good grades. So there has to be merit as well as financial need. After that process, the recipients are awarded the scholarship.”
As part of the ceremony, the recipients entered into a contract with the S.S.B. The contract contains specific requirements that the students would need to follow to maintain the scholarship.
Dr. Colin Young
“The recipients must maintain a passing grade. In fact, an eighty, a B at the schools. They cannot be suspended or obviously, expelled. They have to submit their reports cards after every semester and if they do all of that they maintain the scholarship. If they don’t then they are given a warning and then eventually it is terminated. We try to work with the students and find help for them at the various school at they attend. It is not a formal mentorship program like some others but we definitely interested in the students doing well and passing. So we work with the school and try to ensure that whatever they can do to help them that they would do.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.
