A total of 87 out of 110 completed study-financing requests (79 per cent) were granted this year for the upcoming academic school so far (see related story). Of these, 35 are for the Netherlands, 22 for the US (including the Virgin Islands), 13 for Canada, 12 for St. Maarten, three for the United Kingdom plus one each for Trinidad and Jamaica.
Considering the diversity of the country’s population and education system along with limited local resources, that seems like a reasonable mix. The same can be said about the types and levels of studies being pursued.
People often liken the annual exodus of high school seniors to “brain drain,” but the reality is that not all chosen fields and/or programmes can be offered on-island in an adequate manner at least for now. It’s important not to overly limit youngsters in their development both regarding options and quality.
A bigger concern seems that out of 247 applications only 125 were completed, less than half. Fifteen of those remain pending because of deferred exams in the CXC CSEC, CAPE and IB programmes.
Of course, the original requests are filed under the assumption of graduation and acceptance at a higher institution of learning, which is not always a forgone conclusion. Still, a higher completion rate would appear desirable, and something persons involved should strive for.
As for the students, while they obviously don’t owe society anything but the loan, its great expectations will rest on their shoulders to make St. Maarten proud in every sense.
