WHILE addressing the media in the boardroom of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) in Kingston, Georgetown, yesterday, Education Minister Priya Manickchand announced that the scholarship programme which President Donald Ramotar had spoken of last year will shortly become effective.

Manickchand explained that this scholarship programme will see the country’s top two Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and top two Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) students being awarded Government scholarships to pursue studies in any field at universities of their choice.
She said last year’s top students in these two examinations will be recipients of this scholarship, something that they are already aware of; and some of them have already been accepted into institutions of higher learning.
President Ramotar had announced this scholarship programme last October at the National Awards Ceremony for Outstanding Performance, held at the National Cultural Centre on Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown; and funding in this respect had been approved after Cabinet consultations.
Manickchand pointed out that except for 2010, in the last six years, Guyanese have topped the Caribbean at the CSEC examination, and have also repeatedly received the first prize in several subject areas offered by the CXC.