Six students win KCCU scholarships

The six recipients of the 2012 Kingstown Co-operative Credit Union (KCCU) education awards have been encouraged to stay on the right path as they enter the secondary level of education.{{more}}

At the credit union’s scholarship awards ceremony held at the Peace Memorial Hall on Wednesday, four students received scholarships while two received bursaries.

Shenique Thomas, Mia Miller and Kreniece Joycelyn, who will be attending the Girls’ High school and Marks Lewis Jr, who will attend the St. Vincent Grammar School, received five year scholarships of $1,100 per year.

Zoe-Ann Peters and Kaylah Leigherwood-Ollivierre were presented with bursaries which is a one time payment of $600.

Collin John, Crown Counsel in the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) was the motivational speaker at Wednesday’s ceremony.

“You are going to secondary schools now. You will be exposed to children from different homes, different communities and they will come with different parental values … Some would unfortunately be exposed to things like sexual intercourse and drugs.

“They would try to influence you. You are asked to stay on what is regarded as the right path. Avoid those negative influences,” said John.

Parents were also encouraged to monitor the friends their children associate with as well as the social networks they visit.

“You cannot be naïve. We are in a society and we realize that there are some persons who will take advantage of children if they have the opportunity. So as parents, you cannot neglect the opportunity as parents to monitor your children…” he said to applause.

Senior Education Officer within the Ministry of Education Carlton Hall also had some advice for the students.

He informed the students that “there is no such thing as free education.

“Someone has to pay for it,” he said.

“The money which the Kingstown Co-operative Credit Union is investing in you, young people, is tax payers’ money! And the returns would be expected. Not tangible returns like monetary profits, but we expect to see our young people going and developing into productive citizens,” he said.

Thirty-seven students have benefited from the Kingstown Co-operative Credit Union scholarship programme since its inception in 1995.(AA)