Caribbean News
Scholarships process undergoing changes
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, March 31, 2023 – Following years old requests from the UK to pare down the program, accusations of curry favoring from local students and even a lawsuit, the Ministry of Education is once again trying to revamp how scholarships are disseminated through the Turks & Caicos Islands Education Financial Assistance Policy (TCIEFAP).
The result of the latest attempt is a tightly trimmed program with only 65 scholarships on offer for next year. The Ministry made the announcement in a press release on March 24th.
It also establishes a far more competitive scholarship awards process.
It was only four years ago that the then PDM administration increased the scholarship award budget by a massive 55 percent, and five years ago, that they increased in the priority areas from 23 to 82. In 2019, it awarded 66 international scholarships of 157, an award rate of 42 percent.
At that time, the Ministry of Education was challenged to design a scholarships’ program which was both supportive of filling vital skills gaps and fiscally sustainable.
The PNP also maintained a hefty scholarship program; in 2022, 93 applicants of 167 were successful in their bids to have government funded education, an award rate of 55 percent.
In the most recent announcement, the Government explained that it will now approve a defined number of awards under specific areas and will publish an advertisement outlining a short-list of programmes, to receive awards annually. That is set to begin this year and the 2023/2024 list of the pre-approved scholarship awards is already published.
Not only does this cut down the number of scholarships to be awarded, but it also seemingly leaves the possibility for the Ministry to adjust what area gets the most or least scholarships on a year-by-year basis, allowing them to meet labour market demands.
It is a deviation from the way things had been done with no pre-set number of awards on the table, allowing the Education Advisory Committee to award as many qualified applicants as the budget could or would allow.
The Ministry says the overarching goals of this change are: “To ensure that scholarship offerings, as well as the associated application, review and award processes are objective, transparent, empowers the applicants but
moreover continues to close the labour market gaps in the Turks & Caicos Islands through strategic and intentional Human Capital Development strategies.”
Of the 65 scholarships to be awarded this year, they will be divided as such:
- Health – 8
- Education – 7
- Planning & Engineering – 6
- Hospitality & Tourism – 3
- Science & Technology – 6
- Business, Finance & Management – 6
- Technical & Vocational Education & Training – 6
- Disaster Management & Social Sciences – 5
- Logistics Management & Communication – 5
- Law – 3
- Athletics – 3
- Special Needs – 3
- National awards – 4
Only National Scholarship Awards and recipients of the Athletic Financial Assistance Awards will be left open to facilitate the applicant’s selection.
Anticipating questions from the public, the ministry said this: “We hasten to highlight that the list of priority areas has not shifted tremendously and as such will not adversely affect students who have already applied. The Ministry has intentionally extended the application period to encourage as many applicants as possible.”
The trimming of the scholarship program comes at a time when the Turks and Caicos is expanding at home higher education opportunities to never before heights. There are partnerships coming for the Turks and Caicos Community College in maritime and law areas, and free tuition for all islanders and BOTC, as well as campuses on nearly every island.
Castries, March 2025. Saint Lucia has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring human rights for all.
This was the collective assertion, as over 20 national stakeholders participated in a two-day national Human Rights workshop. This initiative was hosted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) Regional Caribbean office, in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s satellite office in Saint Lucia, and the Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation, and Diaspora Affairs. 
The workshop, was designed to enhance awareness of the International Human Rights System, including treaty bodies and human rights mechanisms; build capacity of government officials and civil society members in data gathering and human rights reporting; and to highlight the role that respective agencies and their constituents play within this system. The Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs is the focal agency for Human Rights in Saint Lucia.
In welcoming participants, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Ms. Janelle Modeste-Stephen, noted that advancing human rights was a shared responsibility. “Government must enact policies and safeguard rights. Civil society must continue to advocate and mobilize. The private sector must embrace inclusive practices. Communities must challenge discrimination and uphold the dignity of every individual,” She urged stakeholders to use the workshop as an opportunity to learn, collaborate and commit to concrete action that will make human rights a lived reality for all in Saint Lucia. “Together, we can build a society, where justice, equality and inclusion are not just aspirations but everyday realities”, she stated.
A key objective of the workshop was to reactivate and strengthen the capacity of Saint Lucia’s National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights, which was established by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2019. The Ministry of External Affairs serves as the Chair and Secretariat of the Committee, which comprises representatives from various government ministries. The committee is responsible for analyzing the human rights situation at the national level and collaborates to report on recommendations aligned with Saint Lucai’s national priorities. The active
functioning of the National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights is crucial for promoting and protecting human rights.
Reflecting on the utility of the workshop, Ms. Bynta Ernest, the representative from the Department of Gender Affairs on the National Human Rights Committee noted that the session was essential to the Committee’s revitalization and to demonstrating its importance in advancing human rights in Saint Lucia. “The practical sessions towards reporting on the recommendations from the last Universal periodic Review (UPR) were also very useful to kick-start the process towards meeting our October 2025 UPR reporting deadline,” she added.
In fulfillment of Saint Lucia’s human rights related reporting obligations and deadlines, workshop participants prepared a draft plan of action to devise next steps to advance Saint Lucia’s human rights agenda.
The workshop was held at the Harbor Club Hotel, from March 5-6, 2025. Participants included representatives from departments of External Affairs, Health, Education, Labor, Justice, Human Services, Gender Affairs, Immigration, Equity, Economic Development, the National Statistical Office, the Parliamentary Commissioner’s Office, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, the Attorney General’s Office, and the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities.
Photo Captions:
1st insert: Janelle Modeste-Stephen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs
2nd insert: Bynta Ernest, Gender Affairs
Kingston, Jamaica, March 10, 2025 – The Government has significantly increased investments in healthcare and should another crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic hit the island, the country will be better equipped to deal with it, according to Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
Speaking at the unveiling of a monument in honour of healthcare workers who died while tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, today (March 10), at the National Chest Hospital in St. Andrew, the Prime Minister said out of a commitment to strengthen the healthcare system and to strengthen the healthcare workforce, the Government instituted the Dr. Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship in 2024.
“We are investing $2.5 billion to support 607 students pursuing studies in medical technology, nursing, biomedical engineering, and other critical health-related fields,” he said, adding that the fund is ensuring the building of a robust pipeline of professionals “dedicated to service in the health sector.
“This is a solid commitment of how the Government is dealing with building resilience in the system, supporting our professionals, and at the same time ensuring that we can deliver healthcare with care,” the Prime Minister said.
He noted that while July has been earmarked to recognise the “selfless contribution of those who carried us through the crisis, more needs to be done”.
“Our appreciation cannot be confined to a single month or a single event. It must be reflected in how we value and support our healthcare professionals every single day. To the families of the fallen, I know that no words can fill the space left, especially for your loved ones,” Dr.
Holness said.
The Prime Minister underscored that the legacies of the healthcare workers live on in the patients they treated, the lives they touched, and now in the monument that has been erected.
“Let us commit to a Jamaica where those who dedicate their lives to caring for others are themselves cared for. Let us also commit to upholding the values these healthcare workers have embodied – care, compassion, resilience and unity. In their action and sacrifice, they made a choice,” the Prime Minister said.
March 10 marks the fifth anniversary since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the country, and the fourth year since the start of the recovery with the administration of vaccines.
Contact: Garfield L. Angus
Release: JIS
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