by Curlan Campbell, NOW Grenada
- 6 medical degree scholarships from the Republic of Cuba
- St George’s University 179 scholarships valued at $36.3 million
- 106 recipients of government scholarship
Dr Gaynell Surana Amanda La Touche and Dr Petra Janelle Francis are set to specialise in their respective medical fields of paediatrics and general surgery in the Republic of Cuba.
6 students pursuing medical degrees are included in the batch of 12 young people who received Cuba scholarships:
- Khalid Courtney
- Shanta Subashni Harford
- Deslyn Rhoda Narine
- Keishona Salina Passee
- Toria Jeryl Keiann Paul
- Michelle Ann victoria Wiltshire
The other Cuban awardees are:
- Perry Gabriel Richardson – Civil Engineering
- Jerron Jonathan Phillip – Mechanical Engineering
- Nathan Elvis Best – Telecommunication and Electronic Engineering
- Trevin Jamaica Angella Hutchinson – Hygiene and Epidemiology
They are among 106 government scholarship recipients to improve Grenada’s human resource. Scholarships were also given to St George’s University (50), People’s Republic of China (27), and The University of the West Indies (16). The value of scholarships offered by the People’s Republic of China is set at $4.4 million while the scholarships for Cuba are valued at $5.3 million.
This year’s Commonwealth UK scholarship award went to Marasie Ashama Ann Francis. The government has valued the total cost of this year’s scholarship awards at $48.5 million, with St George’s University (SGU) granting 179 scholarships valued at $36.3 million.
Government has recently found itself in a sticky situation after the Government of Trinidad and Tobago discontinued its scholarship sponsorship, leaving the Grenada government no choice but to make an immediate payment of $128,000 to assist in servicing debt reported to be over $500,000. The immediate payment was made to afford 10 new students the opportunity to undertake 4-year studies at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI).
Minister with Responsibility for Tertiary Education Pamela Moses said financial challenges was the rationale by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago behind the discontinued sponsorship.
“I must say that our government has contributed much in the form of economic cost bursaries to The University of West Indies and is taking up the slack from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago which is unable to continue its sponsorship due to economic challenges and has had to cancel its offering of 10 scholarships.”
Moses indicated that government is prepared to sponsor 10 scholarships annually for the next 4 years.