Eight students from the Castle Bruce Primary School were awarded full scholarships to attend the Castle Bruce Secondary School for the next five years by members of the Diaspora.
The scholarship presentation took place at the Castle Bruce Primary School last Sunday where Minister for Education, Hon. Petter Saint Jean praised the efforts of the contributors saying that he was pleased with members of the Diaspora who saw the need and seized the opportunity to contribute to deserving students in Dominica.
He said, “I’m happy when Dominicans who have left and attained a certain level of success can recognize that it’s going to take a collaborative effort for us to get our people where we anticipate they should be.”
He stated not only have these persons come forward to assist the people of Caste Bruce but also the Government of Dominica.
The Minister noted that in addition to Government’s assistance, this presentation will surely make a significant impact on the lives of these students.
He therefore urged the students and the parents to not take these opportunities lightly but to “Grab hold of that opportunity and maximize on it.”
Kenshia Wilshire, Crystel George, Beyonce Bannis, Briana Berkie, Malaika Bontiff, Akram Cuffy and Berkelsha Adams were the recipients of these scholarships.
The scholarships were presented in the names of the contributors or in honour of someone else. They include the Dr. Augustus Valmond, Dr. Cuthbert John, Dr. Emmanuel Finn, Connie Lewis St Ville, Ruthina Bannis and Heather Mason.
Dr. John Jno. Finn one of the sponsors, who holds a PhD in Education, spoke of his humble beginnings as a young boy in Castle Bruce.
He believes that having a sound education makes a tremendous difference.
He mentioned his days of studies at the Dominica Grammar school, and subsequently becoming a teacher, even teaching the Castle Bruce Primary School.
He reminisced “…attending school was not easy. I left my beloved family members and the village to study. Young people hear me, I did not go to town to enjoy Roseau, I went to study. That’s how we viewed going to high school, going to study.”
Dr. Jno Finn urged the students saying that he is now successful because his quest for education didn’t stop. He pursued his Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree and PhD.
“In my experience, a good education makes a big difference. I have worked diligently, I have benefitted immensely, traveled internationally, but above all I would want to be remembered as one who helped someone to achieve his God-given or her God-given potential,” he stated.
Dr. John Finn pledged his commitment and vowed to advocate for the continuation of this cause.
Loreen Bannis-Robert, Liaison Officer for Diaspora Affairs and a Member of the Castle Bruce Scholarship Committee indicated that the scholarships were contingent on the students overall output.
She admonished the students to take their work seriously, otherwise they risk having the scholarship passed on to a more deserving student.
Parliamentary Representative for the Castle Bruce Constituency, Hon. Johnson Drigo expressed his sincere gratitude to members of the Diaspora and urged parents to ensure their children’s success.
“Thank you very much on behalf of the people of Castle Bruce. We look forward to this continued support but what they want in return is for us to demonstrate an appreciation just by working with our children. We have done it in the past and we can continue to do it again,” he said.
Hon. Drigo also cautioned parents saying, “We cannot allow these opportunities to go to waste. We as parents, as a community must embrace it. It involves a bit of tightening on your part; a bit more sacrifice. You will have to burn the midnight oil and stay up with your children whilst they are doing their homework. You will have to cut down on your own social life so that you can make a bit more time for your children. These children will only succeed if they get the adequate supervision from their parents, the adequate support from the home. That’s the only way they can succeed.”
The Castle Bruce scholarship committee is the first of its kind in Dominica. The eight awardees joined two scholarship recipients from last year.