EIGHT children of policyholders were on Monday each presented with bursary awards from the Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Society Limited (DEMLIFE) for being successful at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment examinations.

The awardees of the $11,000 bursaries are: Mark Bentick, Azarya Willis, Princess Patterson, Kayla McAllister, Daniel Seaford, Tiffiann Henry, Grace Browne and Shan Norton. The recipients will be granted the $11,000 on a yearly basis for the next five years, as long as they upkeep their academic performance to at least 60 percent for the first three terms.

DEMLIFE Human Resource Manager Mrs. Denise Lambert encouraged the students to continue studying hard so that they could be successful while making the company proud. Mrs. Lambert said the presentation was the 18th awards ceremony and the initiative is viewed as a way of giving back to the community.

Mrs. Lambert is advising policyholders to make good use of the company’s yearly programme as a form of encouragement for their children’s successful performances by entering their children into the programme. The programme is advertised in all local newspapers, and there is included a form to fill out in order to enter the programme. The company chooses 10 of the top students from different regions to receive the bursaries, which are granted for a five-year period.

Mrs. Lambert said the programme would continue to be a yearly one, and that the company is working on taking the programme to a higher level, wherein the company would be able to assist the students up to a tertiary level.

The most outstanding student for this year, Mark Bentick, stated: “I was very surprised when I heard that I was the most outstanding student for the programme, but I am happy for myself and the other awardees, who worked hard in order to be successful at the National Grade Six Assessment (exams) and to be a part of this occasion”.
Mark gained 530 marks at his examinations and was able to secure a spot at the Bishops High School, which he noted comes from hard work and sacrifices.