In the face of extremely difficult economic challenges the government has announced significant cuts to GATE and Scholarship funding. The government will reduce the scholarship finding by some 100 million dollars.
Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly yesterday announced sweeping changes which will see the number of national scholarships awarded being awarded annually reduced from 400 to 100, and an introduction of a bursary system to benefit up to 500 students.
Another shocking revelation was that GATE Programme, funding for post-graduate studies has now been ended with immediate effect. The Minister announced that students currently enrolled in post-graduate programmes will cease to be funded come August 2021.
Minister Gadsby-Dolly also referenced funding for medical training saying: “This has carried with it significant investment, as an Open Medical Scholarship costs, on average, $600,000 per year for five years, an Open non-medical — $450,000 per year for three to four years and an additional scholarship $225,000 for three years.
In the eleven year period from 2008 to 2019, the government funded over 1,586 national scholarships have been awarded, at a cost of approximately $800 million.”
The Opposition has chastised the government for this move saying that the country needs to continue investing in the country’s youth.
COMMENTS