Gov’t awards U.W.I., U.B. scholarships
In news from the education front, the Government has announced that ten young Belizeans have been awarded scholarships to study at the University of the West Indies in various fields. According to this week’s Cabinet release, Michael Arana will study electrical and computer engineering; Areini Arzu: Environmental Engineering; Herman Castillo: Land Economy and Valuation; Evan Cowo: Special Education; Brian Duncan: Banking and Finance; Lenina Franco: Human Resources Management; Janelle Kidd: Medicine; Dominique Lizama: Natural Resource Management; Gayle Usher: Hospitality management and Nigel Vasquez will pursue a degree in Tourism Management. All the scholarships include tuition, books, room and board. The ten students join sixty-five others currently receiving aid from the Government under the Professional and Technical Scholarship programme. According to G.O.B., the annual cost of the programme at U.W.I. is approximately one point seven million dollars.
On the local scene, the Ministry of Education has also ironed out the kinks in a financial support package for students at the University of Belize. Government says starting in August, fifty tuition scholarships, worth a total of one hundred and sixty-two thousand dollars, will be awarded to deserving students pursuing bachelor degrees at the institution. The idea is that over the next three years, the number of scholarships will increase to one hundred and fifty…with a price tag of more than four hundred and eighty thousand dollars. As part of the scholarship package, the students will have to complete one hundred and twenty hours of voluntary community service at sites approved by the Ministry and U.B. Associate degree students are reminded that scholarships for their studies are made available through the Tuition Assistance for Sixth Form Institutions programme.
According to figures published by the Ministry of Education, there are currently two thousand, one hundred and seventy-eight students enrolled in universities and other tertiary institutions countrywide.
