53 students going into secondary, tertiary, and vocational educational levels have been blessed to receive scholarships awarded to them by the Social Security Board (SSB). Usually, the 53 and their parents would be gathered together in one central location to officially receive their scholarships but given that COVID-19 is still a reality, the ceremonies took place per location. In the Belize District, the six recipients and their parents met with SSB staff at the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry Conference Room on Friday, July 31, 2020 for their ceremony. There, the ceremony was kept short and sweet and the normally celebratory ceremony was scaled down to adjust to social distancing and mask wearing regulations.
For each student, the scholarship primarily covers tuition but as SSB’s General Manager of Corporate Relations, Chandra Cansino explained, any remaining cash goes toward other education expenses which parents or guardians might incur. She continued to say that the Board saw a greater number of applicants, around 349, which the SSB can attribute to the overwhelming monetary devastations brought on by COVID-19. A selection committee had to consider students facing the most economic hardships and, as always, those with the most satisfactory grades and recommendations. The scholarships last for the entirety of the schooling program, whether two, three, or four years, and are maintained so long as the student performs academically well.
Of the 53 awardees across the country, 31 recipients are at the high school level; 17 are going to sixth-form; three are for the bachelor’s level and one is in the vocational and technical category. The scholarship program has existed for almost two decades, since 2001, and has benefited more than 900 students to the tune of $3.8 million. Cansino says that while for now the scholarship is purely one to support finance, they do hope to expand into offering mentorship assistance.
