All scholarships will be made public – Minister Sarabo-Halley

The new Minister of Public Service Tabitha Sarabo-Halley has announced that all scholarships awarded by the Government will be made public under her tenure.

“As the Minister, I decided that transparency is key for me,” she told a press conference at her Waterloo Street, Georgetown office Thursday.

“It is public money,” she added, saying that she sees no need for scholarship awards to be kept secret.

She confirmed that two children of Minister Simona Broomes are among 73 Guyanese who are overseas on scholarships.

However, Minister Sarabo-Halley could not be “certain” about the amount of money transferred to their overseas accounts when asked about claims by the Opposition Leader that millions of dollars were transferred to their accounts.

The Minister said that the children of Broomes went through “the process.”

She explained that when applications are made, they are first reviewed to see if they meet the eligibility criteria, and if they do, a panel decides on who are awarded scholarships.

She said that since the field of study, university and country varies, there is no definitive amount of tuition, stipend or housing allowance which is given to successful applicants.

The Minister also confirmed that an investigation is underway regarding an overseas scholarship awarded to the daughter of former Minister Dr Frank Anthony.

For scholarships awarded overseas, students usually pledge an asset that can be levied against them if they do not return to serve the country as stipulated when they are awarded.

For this year, 103 undergraduate scholarships are available for the University of Guyana.