Georgetown, Guyana — (March 7, 2018) Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service (DPS), Mr. Reginald Brotherson, this morning, declared open the Department’s scholarship website for current and prospective scholars. The website’s launch was held at the Smart Classroom of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), Battery Road, Kingston, Georgetown.
The scholarship website, found at, dps.gov.gy/scholarships/, targets both current and prospective scholars, including members of the Public Service. The now easily accessible information will allow current scholars to send study updates such as report cards and financial documents to the DPS via online submission. Prospective scholars will be able to access all available information on both donor and Government of Guyana (GOG) scholarships. They will also be able submit applications, upload the necessary documents, and receive updates on their application status. Members of the Public Service will be able to view the schedule for professional training opportunities offered by the DPS.
Mr. Brotherson said that the Government of Guyana scholarships that are provided are selected out of a newly developed systemised approach to training that compliments the country’s development agenda. “The Department of Public Service embarked on a data and analytical driven exercise ascertaining priority areas of various fields of study within the Public Service and sector in Guyana and strategically matched the data development with the initiative agenda of the state… The journey of the data gathering exercise then positioned us to rearrange and fix the jigsaw puzzle… [into] one of hope, inspiration, and tremendous expectation,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary also said that while the task of managing scholarships is a substantial one, it is not burdensome because of the long-term benefits it provides for Guyana. “We do not envisage the investments in the human resource development as burdensome, but rather, a systematic approach to an overall benefit, transitioning our prized young people on a path to develop our economy [and] enjoy the good life,” he said.
Meanwhile, Advisor to the Minister with responsibility for the Public Service, Mr. Vincent Alexander, who delivered the feature address, said that the website increases transparency and modernises the scholarship application process. “What we’re doing today is intended to fulfil… the Government’s promise of a better life… The website provides… transparency in what we do. It allows the nation at large to know what criteria [is] being applied when one seeks to obtain a scholarship… The website provides… openness… Transparency does not work where there isn’t [the kind of] openness, [where] you would see the application of the objective criteria in the process of determining how the entitlement is delivered to citizens,” he said.
In an invited comment, scholar and Manager of the Planning and Analysis Division of the DPS, Ms. Kandasia Kendall, drawing on her personal experience as a scholarship student, described the usefulness of the website. “Given the fact that you’re a bonded scholar, there are certain obligations that you have to fulfil to the Government of Guyana. So, through the scholarship website, we’re making it easier for those students who are studying all over the world to be able to connect with us and fulfil those requirements,” she said.
Ms. Kendall also said that the website will encourage prospective scholars, who might feel overwhelmed during the process of searching for scholarships through the traditional means. “When you’re looking for a scholarship you go through so much because many people are looking for scholarships out there and then there’s rejection… and that can take a toll on you. So when you actually know [that you] can get a scholarship if [you] do these things to ensure that [you] meet the requirements… [it] makes a lot of difference… It is important for me to make more students aware of the scholarship opportunities and that are out there… It’s about giving people hope… This website is going to give people hope,” she said.
The event featured a live demonstration of the registration and scholarship application process on the website, which will be fully functional by Friday, March 9, 2018. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, Ms. Abena Moore, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr. Paloma Mohamed, Chief Education Officer of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Marcel Hutson, and Head Teachers of St. Joseph, St. Roses and Bishops High Schools attended the event.
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