November 23, 1998
(Education)

The following statement was issued today by Roger Grimes, Minister of Education. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Post-secondary awards program

In the March 1998 Budget government announced a $4 million awards program for Newfoundland and Labrador students attending Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic. Today, I am pleased to announce that more than 2,000 students have received awards ranging from $500 to $1,000 maximum for this school year under the awards program. The awards program is a two-year bridging program to the federal government's Canada Millennium Scholarship Program to help aid students that demonstrate financial need and academic success criteria.

To date, government has awarded a total of $1.4 million of the $2 million allocated for the 1998-99 academic year. Another $2 million will also be available for the 1999-2000 school year. There was no application process necessary. The awards were primarily based on a student's unmet financial need as assessed by Student Aid, in addition to being in good academic standing at their institution.

We also established a committee to administer and finalize criteria for the program. This committee consists of representatives from the university, the College of the North Atlantic, along with three student representatives. Students agree with the criteria set for the program and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Other jurisdictions are praising government's initiative and looking at our awards program as a model for their own potential programs.

Government is helping to create more opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador students by increasing the amount of awards available in our own publicly funded post-secondary institutions. It is ensuring students with academic potential have the extra necessary resources to obtain a post-secondary education within the province.

1998 11 23                   2:55 p.m.