Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
The Turks and Caicos Islands government, realizing there are too many loopholes in its scholarship policy, has introduced stricter measures for those benefiting from government grants.
“The awardee and sureties will be held jointly liable to pay Turks and Caicos Islands Government if there is failure to serve back to the TCIG/their country with a period of service—- Sureties and Awardees, let me make it absolutely clear that Bond Agreements will be strictly enforced,” said Rachel Taylor Minister of Education during a press conference on April 5, 2024.
Taylor was referring to the Bonds attached to scholarships, which last between 3 to 5 years depending on the length of study. Graduates not honoring their bond agreements was one problem affecting the scholarship program and by extension the workforce. Also identified as issues were the bulky application process, low staff to monitor graduates and follow up on bond agreements, and a lack of mechanisms to verify that students have returned and ensure employment for all returning students.
To fix this this Cabinet agreed to several changes in the bond agreement giving it more enforcement power.
The first change means the Bond Agreement now says Students will be urged to participate in the Internship and Apprenticeship Program facilitated by the Ministry of Education for a period of up to 90 days.
As the internship is supposed to provide gainful employment as graduates seek jobs, if the students already have a job offer in the TCI they will be allowed to skip the internship. The same applies if students find work in the public sector during their 90 day work period.
“The Government has to secure a return on this investment! and as a larger employer, wants to ensure that it is the first choice for returning students and that the public service receives these services for its development,” Taylor said.
For those who find work in the private sector during their 90 day internship, whether or not they are released from the agreement will be decided on a case by case basis. Finally if a resident goes through the 90 day period and cannot find work locally they can apply to be released from their 3 to 5 year bond agreement.
Another change stipulates that all students must make a GPA of 2.5 or above and Awardees will be required to submit evidence of registration of their GPA, to be eligible for the next drawdown of funds.
The next change maintains that sureties must be living in the Turks and Caicos and show proof of residency by submitting a Job Letter and bank letter OR
Bank letter and Affidavit; and provide their physical address within the TCI. No scholarship can be awarded without the signature of the awardee and two sureties.
Taylor said the government won’t jump straight to court to enforce the bonds; rather, they will try to use moral suasion, pressure on sureties, and as a last resort legal proceedings.
The government has also introduced a new digital platform for applications and communication with awardees via a new scholarship portal. TCIG says this will facilitate positive changes including: increased response time regarding applications; allowing applicants to monitor progress of individual applications; ensure that notices are given in a timely manner and to improve our data collection.
Taylor stressed that scholarship grants were an investment. “If we are to close the skills gap, reduce the dependence in critical areas on contract workers and build a pool of available skills, our students MUST return home!”
