THE Guyana & Trinidad Mutual Fire & Life Insurance Companies (GTM) held its 17th annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony yesterday morning to hand out a total of 11 bursaries to children of policy holders..
The event was held at the Insurance Council Conference Room on Brazil Street and saw two new students and nine existing students receive bursaries of $1000 each.
A member of staff, Tessa Marquis said GTM recognises and awards some of the best and brightest minds in St. Lucia and congratulated this year’s awardees: “You have been chosen out of many as a result of your outstanding performances. You therefore have great responsibility to maintain those standards and even to surpass them during the course of your studies. You should be the flag bearers of excellence and a source of inspiration to your colleagues”
“I strongly encourage you to continue striving for excellence in your everyday lives and take advantage of opportunities to surround yourself with others who would do the same. As we celebrate, we can’t lose track of how far we have yet to go”
She congratulated the parents of the awardees and encouraged them to continue paying attention to their children’s success as well as pushing them towards being positive and successful citizens of the future/
Agency Manager at GTM, Kirk Maraj said so far, the company has helped 34 students with bursaries and scholarships valued at $10,000.
The total disbursement since the beginning of the programme in 1999, he said, is valued at over $100,000
Maraj said it is for this reason that students must maintain an annual average of 75% and an insurance policy must be enforced by parents for the duration of scholarship.
He said: “Undeniably, we are serious about equity in education. Despite competing demands, we have increased our commitment to this programme by covering the cost of five CXC subjects for our awardees. This award is something the recipients should be proud of. All of the students who earned this are well deserving.”
Maraj said the bursary is not a handout but is in actuality an investment in young people.