BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - PARLIAMENTARY Representative for Constituency Number Seven Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris continues to show his dedication towards the education building of the children in his district, naming 24 of them the recipients of his annual award.
A ceremony held today (Oct. 23) saw six students from each of the Edgar T. Morris Primary, Violet Petty Primary, Joshua Obadiah Primary and Estridge Primary schools receive the ‘Help A Child Scholarship’.
Each student received EC$500 in an effort to assist the parents of those students to meet their child’s academic needs.
The awards received high praise by the former Chief Education Officer and Chairman of the event, Dr. Patrick Welcome, who said the ceremony signified Harris’ continuous devotion to the educational development of the children of his constituency.
He said many thought the Programme would have ceased to continue after the downfall of the economy but the fact that it is still going strong is a sign that Minister Harris is truly dedicated to the task of assisting those parents in need.
He encouraged students and parents not to be ungrateful to Harris’ generosity. He told the recipients to continue excelling in their academics.
"The fact that you have been chosen means your teacher recognises your potential," he told the recipients.
Also speaking at the ceremony was Chief Education Officer Clarice Cotton, who thanked Harris for the contribution he made over the last nine years, encouraging him to continue in the years to come.
She told the parents that a great way of saying thank you would be by putting the money to good use.
She then encouraged the recipients to "continue doing well in school".
Harris, in his feature address gave a description of his journey to success, recounting the challenges he faced within his own academic career.
He thanked his family, teachers and mentors for the positive influence they bestowed on him that greatly assisted in paving the way for him to become the persons he is today.
Harris said he hopes his contribution would not only assist the parents but would also encourage the students to continue working hard to achieve their goals and that they would become successful later in life.
Students are nominated from each school of which six are chosen for the scholarship making a total of 24 scholarships being provided. Each student is given EC$500 for the purpose of helping to meet the needs of those parents who are experiencing difficulties when handling their child’s academic expenses.
There are two criteria – the child must be in need and the child must be able to show academic promise.
Harris said in a previous interview, “The idea is to try to help people who are having difficulties in the school area, largely because they have some need that they cannot meet. It could be anything, from a pencil to a geometry set. We are trying to help because we do not want the children to fall through the crack.”
The programme is in its ninth year with over EC$100 000 being distributed between 216 students.
