Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) top performer Elisa Hamilton says students should be alerted about any change in scholarships promised to top students by President Donald Ramotar.
Hamilton’s call follows her own disappointment at not being awarded a government scholarship to attend an institution of her choice as she had expected after a commitment was previously announced by Ramotar.
In 2012, at the Education Ministry’s National Award Ceremony for Outstanding Performances, President Ramotar had announced that the top two performers at the CSEC and CAPE examinations would be given automatic scholarships to study in any field of their choice in Guyana or abroad.
“President Donald Ramotar informed that the two top performers at CSEC and the two top performers at CAPE would be beneficiaries of government scholarships to pursue studies at universities of their choice in any field,” Education Minister Priya Manickchand was later quoted as saying in a Kaieteur News report from a news conference in May, 2013. Hamilton, the top CSEC performer for 2014, took that promise to heart. She worked towards the scholarship with the hope that she “could attend an Ivy League college.”
However, she was disappointed earlier this month when she received a letter from Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Ministry Hydar Ally, who informed that she can apply to study in Guyana, China and Cuba in the fields of engineering, dentistry and medicine.
For the student, who had previously expressed hope of studying medicine at Yale, this was a devastating blow.
“I’m very disappointed and believe students should be made aware of any change in the promise made to top performers by the president. I’m sure that there are students right now working towards this scholarship,” she said.
Stabroek News reached out to the Public Service Minstry for comment but was unsuccessful.
Hamilton, a Queen’s College student, secured 19 Grade One passes and a Grade Two pass at the CSEC examinations last year. She was also recognised as the most outstanding candidate in the region.
