CATEGORY:COMMENTARY
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By Dr. Francis Alexis (Attorney-at-law)

18 SEPTEMBER, 2006 - Since 2003, the national island scholarship of Grenada has not been awarded; none of our hard-working, brilliant students has been named island scholar for 2004, 2005 or 2006. Ever since the establishment of the island scholarship, this is the first time in the history of Grenada that such a long period has gone by without an island scholar being named. Never has this happened under any government in Grenada: from colonialism and representative government, through associated statehood to independence, into revolution and the restoration.

And there are big points of irony to it all. One is that there are so many university graduates in the Cabinet constituting the Government of Grenada today. Another is that the Prime Minister of Grenada is the CARICOM Head of Government speaking most on science & technology and matters of knowledge and learning.


REWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

By making an award of an island scholarship, society testifies to our young people that we recognize and salute with due ceremony the attainment of distinguished excellence in education. The island scholar would more likely than not be the student who so consistently labors at study that he or she distinguishes himself or herself as deserving the prestigious accolade of winning the national island scholarship.

This distinction does not come overnight. It is not attained by sudden flight. It is ordinarily not a fluke. It represents consistent methodical hard work. It marks persistent planning of work, and the disciplined adherence to such planning. Much inspiration is needed, but there has to be a lot of perspiration, to achieve the coveted title of being the national island scholar.

The makings of an island scholar may begin even in primary school, if not in kindergarten. The picture gets clearer through mid secondary school, more so by CXC. The years in CAPE or GCE A’ level bring together many of excellence. At the end of it all, the student performing best in the examinations would have earned the right to wear the ribbon with the emblazon “National Island Scholar.”


NOT ONE, BUT MORE

We in Grenada should long have gone past the stage at which we award only one national island scholarship a year, and should have been awarding at least two island scholarships a year. We should have one such scholarship for natural sciences, and another for arts including social sciences. Having natural science students competing with arts-social science students for one and the same island scholarship is antediluvian.

No wonder Barbados awards so many national scholarships every year; much more than just two. We are laying on probably the best stadium facilities for cricket world cup 2007; using up on the stadium relatively more resources than what Barbados allocates for the finals. But we will not name a single island scholar since 2003, while Barbados awards numerous national scholarships every year. Moreover, practically every Barbadian who is admitted to UWI will have his or her economic costs of study paid for by the Government of Barbados. Further, Barbadians get plenty scholarships from overseas governments and institutions.

There is no substitute for the honor of academic excellence that is an award of national scholar. No scholarship from abroad can replace the national pride of a national island scholarship, or substitute the inspiration and the motivation to excel for a national scholarship. Nor can there be too many scholarships. Not in an age in which there is the high premium on education knowledge and learning that there is today.


HELPING OURSELVES

Look at what NNP said to justify the Reconstruction Levy to partly finance the rebuilding of Grenada from the destruction and damage of Hurricanes Ivan and Emily. NNP said that if Grenada does not show the rest of the world that Grenada is prepared to make the sacrifice to help ourselves rebuild, others might not want to help us.

So too, then, if we do not ourselves provide our young people with at least one island scholarship every year, we handicap our young people from getting scholarships from abroad. This is a grave disservice to our young people. Especially now when we need to keep them focused positively, and not let them be disoriented negatively; to teach them that the pen is mightier than the cutlass.

Imagine, a young person can get a national title for soca, kaiso, beauty and athletics; but not for education as an island scholar: this is Grenada under NNP. Let NNP reverse this and not appear to have abolished our national island scholarship. Grenada should name national island scholars for 2004, 2005 and 2006.