CATEGORY:EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
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By Trevor Thwaites (St.George's correspondent)


ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada: Grenadians and students from across the region will benefit from scholarships being provided by the St George’s University (SGU) under the Commonwealth Scholarship Programme. The Commonwealth St George’s Scholarship Programme was officially announced at a function at Marlborough House Headquarters towards the end of last month in London. The St George’s University has agreed to provide 75 full tuition scholarships, as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations next year.

Chancellor of the University Dr Charles Modica gave the commitment to Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth Winston Cox, during a visit to the country earlier in the year. The programme will differ from established Commonwealth Scholarships. For the first time a direct partnership with the private sector is being undertaken. Officials say that preference will be given to applicants from developing and small states. The Private sectors in the various countries are being mobilized to provide accommodation, travel and living expenses for the scholars.

The partnership is designed to help sponsoring companies take advantage of the high level skills in areas such as tourism and public health that the programme seeks to develop. Sponsors are also expected to have first call on scholars for possible internships and interviews. The scholarships comprise 25 MBAs (Masters of Business Administration), 25 MPHs (Masters of Public Health), 10 in Arts and Science, 10 in Veterinary Medicine and 5 in the school of Medicine.

Officials are hopeful that the gesture by the St George University will be used as a model for other universities within the Commonwealth, to assist in the empowerment of more people .The St George’s University was founded as an independent school of medicine nearly 30 years ago. It offers advanced degrees in medicine, veterinary medicine, and arts and sciences. The University has been able to attract students and educators from 85 countries – many of which are from the Commonwealth.

To date nearly 6,000 physicians have graduated from the University School of Medicine alone. At the moment, more than 3,700 students are studying at the University – with an enrolment last year showing a 52% increase over 2001. The St George’s University is the only independent University in the Caribbean with an accredited research foundation allowing the institution to grant postgraduate masters degress.