The Youth Arm of the United National Congress has accused the government of not making education a priority.
And they have stated, like Opposition MP Anita Haynes, that there is need to improve the transparency of the award of scholarships.
In a media release on Monday, they accused the government of awarding academic distinction for reasons other than merit.
The UNC Youth Arm congratulated students who received scholarships from the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), but said it was a bittersweet occasion as it felt many students were left out, owing to the government’s decision to decrease the number of scholarships from 400 to 100.
The release said: “In a time where every country is advancing and progressing despite the pandemic, it is a shame that this present administration sought to vilify the scholarship system and justify it by saying it is an arbitrary number.
It said members had read “heart-breaking articles where many well-rounded, brilliant, and deserving students were left at a disadvantage because of the government incompetence and their failure to invest in the education sector.”
The UNC Youth are calling on the government to learn from the achievements of this year’s scholarship winners and work towards creating a balanced system to benefit all students.
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