566 Hinterland students benefit from HSP

DPI Guyana, Friday, December 29, 2017

Some five hundred and sixty-six (566) hinterlands students are currently receiving some form of financial assistance through the Hinterland Scholarship Programme. This was revealed by Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe during the recently concluded Budget 2018 Debates.

This figure is expected to increase when the new dormitory facility is completed in 2018, allowing hinterland students to attend tertiary institutions on the coast, Minister Garrido-Lowe had said.

Over the past years, the Hinterland Scholarship Programme (HSP) has been affording academically inclined indigenous youths, opportunities to access quality secondary and technical education, not accessible in their communities.

This programme offers two types of scholarships; the regional and national scholarship and is supported by the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs. Students are provided with a monthly stipend, school necessities, accommodation, and meals.

To receive a regional scholarship, students are required to obtain 470 marks at the National Grade Six Examination; while at the national level they must obtain more than 480 marks, to be awarded schools in Georgetown and its environs.

This year, seventy-seven (77) students completed the secondary school programme. A total Sixty-four (64) students wrote an average of nine (9) subjects at the 2017 Caribbean Secondary Certificate Examination (CSEC), securing a pass rate of 90.1 percent; surpassing last year’s 83.3 percent pass rate.

There were also major passes in the Core Subjects such as Social Studies – 94 percent; English A – 90 percent; Integrated Science – 89 percent; Mathematics – 77 percent.

Mathematics received the lowest passes, as such the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs has decided to take measures to have teachers work with students at the Dormitory on Sundays to improve on the performance in this subject area.

 

By: Synieka Thorne

 

 

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