OAS awards scholarships to eight nationals
By Melissa Bryant
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – EIGHT citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis were awarded scholarships by the Organisation of American States (OAS) to pursue undergraduate and graduate studies for the 2009-10 academic period.
The scholarships awardees and their fields of specialisation are Jason Davis, BA degree in Broadcast Journalism; Ivor Carr, BA in Pharmacy; Liburd Pierre, BA in Business Administration; Jacquelyn Morris, Master’s in Early Childhood Education and Teaching; Steve Whittaker, Master’s in Environmental Health; Andrea Bussue, Doctoral research in Educational Leadership and Administration; Dion French, Master’s in Accounting; and June Wallace, Master’s in Educational Administration and Supervision.
Davis, Carr and Pierre qualified under the Special Caribbean Fellowships and were offered scholarships for their last two years of study leading to a Bachelor’s degree.
The remaining five students received graduate scholarships for study towards a Master’s or Doctoral degree as well as for graduate-level research. The scholarships were awarded for an initial period of one academic year and may be renewed subsequently for up to one additional academic year if funds remain available and if the renewal is necessary to complete the student’s programme of study or research.
OAS Representative for St. Kitts and Nevis Starret Greene revealed that scholarship awardees are given a maximum limit of US$30 000 per academic year. He reinforced the OAS’ commitment to the provision of scholarships within the limits of its resources.
“Given the escalating costs of higher education and the growing scarcity of educational grants, an OAS scholarship is a high value commodity in an exceptionally competitive environment. ~~Adz:Right~~
“The OAS will work to keep funding at least at the same level, but, given the predicted global economic slowdown, we cannot be certain what the level of funding will be for the forthcoming academic year, which is 2010-11,” warned the diplomat.
However, Greene reasserted that the OAS would continue, as it has since the Federation became a member state in 1984, to provide qualified citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis with tangible support to further their education and thereby position them to contribute more meaningfully to the development of their country.
Persons interested in applying for a scholarship for the 2010-11 cycle can do so from April by going online to the OAS’ website. The deadline is July 1.
A total of 193 scholarships will be awarded from January 2009 through March 2010 in OAS member states throughout the hemisphere.
