Charged with the responsibility of increasing scholarship opportunities for public school students, college and scholarship expert, Monique Hinsey, who is a consultant to the Scholarship Division of the Ministry of Education has embarked on various initiatives to ensure that the students and high school guidance counselors are informed and become better acquainted with the college application process.
As part of this initiative, Hinsey is making the rounds, visiting public schools and engaging the graduating seniors -- particularly those who are college bound to make sure that they do not miss out on what is available and how to best increase their chances of a successful application.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is placing greater emphasis on ensuring that the scholarship recipient gap between public and private school students is diminished.
"We need to ensure that we provide our students who are college bound and qualify for scholarships with equal access to the myriad of scholarships and that we are able to support them to ensure the successful completion of university," said Hinsey.
She observed that many students -- particularly those from public schools who receive scholarships still do not have adequate funding to support other costs associated with college.
"Many scholarship recipients withdraw not because of academic or social challenges but because of financial constraints," she said. "We are now in the process of strategizing to ensure that the students who are given scholarships but may have financial challenges have a plan to sustain them and in some instances, that means partnering with institutions to guarantee other benefits to the students so that students with promise do not find themselves disenfranchised."
The education ministry has adopted as its theme for this academic year, "Quality Education for Equitable Development: Performance, Paths and Productivity," which is also the theme for the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers which will be held June 22-26 on New Providence.
"From a scholarship vantage point, we have to create the path for our students to perform at their optimal levels to secure their productivity as citizens of this country," said Hinsey. "For us the path isn't just about providing a scholarship, that's just one of the many paths. However, it goes further than that and if the student is going to perform well we must make sure that all paths are paved."
Hinsey said that at the Ministry of Education they are creating a paradigm shift in the public schools because they want students to know that tertiary education is not optional but mandatory, and that those wishing to pursue a college education are not stifled because of their socio-economic background.
"We have brilliant minds in our public schools. Students wish to become accountants, architects, doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, and other professionals, but when they look around them, their hopes are dashed simply because they cannot afford it. We owe it to those students with dreams and ambitions and strong academic performances to think beyond their circumstances and to continue to strive for excellence."
The college readiness professional is hopeful that parents, students and guidance counselors from the public school system will be equally as aggressive in the college and scholarship application process as private school parents, students and guidance counselors.
She said a greater emphasis must be placed on college and scholarships in the public schools with the same fervor and intensity as some of the private schools. She said the playing field must be balanced and the odds stacked in the favor of the public school sector.
Prepared to encounter some challenges along the way, Hinsey is optimistic that with a consistent effort, a prototype would be established that would last for years, becoming the norm within public schools.

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