Over $1B allocated for scholarships; 700 applications received in three weeks

Minister of Public Service Sonia Parag on Wednesday said over $1B has been set aside in the 2020 Budget for training of public servants and the award of scholarships for local and overseas studies.

A total of $1,081,951,000 was budgeted for the Ministry of which $1,013,484,000 will be used for the training and scholarships, the Minister told the National Assembly during her presentation on the 2020 National Budget.

She disclosed that the Ministry has already received 700 applications for scholarships in the past three weeks.

“If I am to compare 2019 where just over 500 scholarship applications were brought into the Ministry of Public Service, in just three weeks, we have been able to achieve over 700 applications from across the country,” she said.

Of that amount, Minister Parag told the House that 68 applications were from Region Eight as she once again accused the former APNU+AFC administration of only approving scholarships for its support base.

Her comments came in response to Opposition Member of Parliament and former Public Service Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley who criticized the budget as one with no benefits for young people.

The People’s Progressive Party Government in its elections manifesto promised to issue 20,000 online scholarships and offer free education at the University of Guyana.