Roseau, Dominica – July 28, 2010……….. The Economic and Social Review for Fiscal Year 2009/2010, which was laid on the Table in Parliament on Tuesday, July 13th 2010, Budget Day, reveals the full extent of Government’s spending on the education and training of the people of Dominica.
In the 2009/2010 fiscal year, ten (10) Dominicans were awarded scholarships to pursue degrees in various disciplines at universities across China. Ten (10) scholarships went to Dominicans to study in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, four (4) to Mexico, Four (4) to Russia and Seven (7) to the Republic of Cuba.
In the academic year 2009/2010, five (5) Dominicans were awarded scholarships to pursue medicine at All Saints University, Four (4) to Ross University School of Medicine and Seven(7) to Grambling State University in the United States.
Recognising the dearth of qualified persons in Land Surveying, the Government awarded five (5) scholarships in Land Surveying and Geomatics.
In addition to the full scholarships granted, in 2009/2010, Government made available over $3 million in financial assistance to Dominican students pursuing tertiary level programmes at various institutions locally, on-line and overseas.
In 2009/2010, Government continued to provide support to several persons pursuing studies in Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Languages and Management Studies at various educational institutions locally and overseas such as the Business Training Centre, Dominica State College, Devry, Hugh Wooding Law School, University of the Virgin Islands, Monroe College, University of Leicester, University of the West Indies to include the Mona, Cave Hill and local campuses, Achievement Learning Centre, the Resource Development Institute(RDI) Southern and Northern Caribbean Universities, Grambling University and Midwestern State University.
Several Dominican students at schools in the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada and other countries also benefited from the financial assistance programme in the last academic year.
In addition the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development has established several safety net programmes aimed at assisting less advantaged families to ensure that all students have equal access to a well- balanced and high quality of education.
- The School Text Book Provision Scheme was broadened with expenditure amounting to approximately $70,000 from the beginning of the Academic Year in September, 2009
- For the 2009/2010 academic year, 851 children received school transfer grants at $500 each amounting to a total of $425,500
- Government spent $1.3 million for payments to private bus drivers for transportation of 1331 secondary school students from different communities on the island to various secondary schools
- Uniform allowance to students in the amount of $100,000 was also provided by the Government
- In 2009/2010 Government approved over $15,000 in payment of examination fees of students who were not able to do so
- The Ministry of Education continued to expand coverage of school feeding programmes within schools
In the new academic year 2010-2011, Government will continue to invest heavily in education and training. This year will see the implementation the CDB-funded US $4 million Education Enhancement project. Work is also expected to commence this year on a new State-of-the-Art Chinese-funded Dominica State College at an estimated cost of US$15 million.
