Ann Antoine to head Scholarship Committee

Former Health Minister and Executive Director of New Life Organisation, Mrs. Ann David Antoine, is to head the Committee that will recommend who receives Government scholarships and Education Minister, Anthony Boatswain, is confident that the members will adopt a transparent mechanism.

Boatswain gave the assurance as he spoke to the media recently, following the setting up of a new Scholarship Committee. He announced that a set of clear cut criteria and guidelines are being formulated to ensure that the process is transparent, and promised to do all in his power to make a most effective committee.

Ann David Antoine

“There will be a clear set of criteria and guidelines that will be established for the granting of scholarships. Everyone will be aware of them,” Boatswain said, adding that the committee is very broad-based to ensure that there is no political interference in the selection of scholarship winners, stressing that they will be given on merit.

“I believe this is one of the ways we can avoid unfairness in the selection process,” the Education Minister pointed out. “For example, if you have 10 scholarships on offer and you have 12 persons applying for them, you must apply the criteria and guidelines to determine which of the 10 should get them.”

The Minister said that the economic status of applicants will be taken into consideration, and pointed out that scholarships will be granted by the terms and conditions prescribed by the donors.

“For example, the Cubans have just offered five Medical Scholarships for disadvantaged people in rural areas. We cannot go against that. We have to stay in line with the criteria stipulated by Funding and Donor Agencies. We have to ensure that we do not move away and are in line with the criteria they have established.”

The other committee members are Victor Ashby of the Principal Association and Principal of Westmorland Secondary School; Educator Gertrude Niles from Carriacou and Petite Martinique; Chief Personnel Officer in the Public Service Commission, Jacinta Joseph; President of the Public Workers’ Union, Madonna Harford; Anna Brizan of the Department of Public Administration; President of the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Anya Brathwaite; Acting Principal of TAMCC, Dr. Nicole Phillip; Ian Dabreo of the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association; and retired public servant, Byron St. Clair. (LS)