THE St. Lucia Civil Service Co-operative Credit Union Ltd has continued a gesture of gratitude that has been ongoing for over 30 years.
On Tuesday morning at the credit union’s Castries branch, 24 students were awarded scholarships and bursaries as a reward for outstanding results in this year’s Common Entrance Examination.
The students, who were accompanied by their parents/guardians, are all the children of members of the Credit Union.
Out of the group, nine students were given scholarships for achieving grades ranging from 94.33% to 92%, and 15 were awarded with bursaries for achieving grades that were not high enough to meet the criteria but were nonetheless satisfactory and noteworthy of reward.
The union has also granted other financial awards for excellence including payment for transport allowance over the years.
One of the highlights for this year’s awards was the fact that for the first time since the inception, the top four scholarship recipients are males who attained marks of 93% and over. All four boys will be attending the St. Mary’s College in September.
Director at the SLCSCCU, Zepherin Francis made the opening remarks and congratulated the students on their performance in the Common Entrance Exam.
Francis explained the importance of joining the credit union saying that it is an investment which allows you to own a piece of the organisation and initiatives like the scholarship programme are just some of the ways in which members get to reap the benefits of their investment.
He said; “The Credit Union is based on seven principles and one of the key principles is education and education for members. But as you’ve noticed, we have moved beyond just members, we have moved on to their children. So today, you are among an elite group of students.”
The director went on to assure the students that if they continue on their paths with solid performances, the Credit Union will have their backs: “I congratulate you because you all have cleared some hurdles. You have gone through preschool, you’ve gone through primary school and you’re now entering secondary school. But remember, at this credit union, we still take care of you if you go to A-Level and if you go to university. So you still have two more ladders to climb with your academic performance, and the credit union will be there with you as long as you perform well.”
On the other hand, he stressed that the organisation had not forgotten its other members with children who didn’t succeed in meeting the scholarship requirements.
Francis said that the union recognises the needs of the parents/guardians of the said these children and for being good and loyal members, had selected to help them to send their children to school with bursaries.
This year, 40 people have received bursaries including the 15 recipients on Tuesday.
