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More Students and Teachers Benefit from Govt Loan Facility


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-- More Public Officers Get Study Leave With Pay.

 

Contact: Earl Bousquet

Thursday, September 2, 2004 - Prime Minister Dr Kenny D. Anthony has welcomed the news that a total of 100 students are to benefit from the Government’s Human Resource Development Credit Facility and more Public Officers have been approved this year for Study Leave With Pay.


The Prime Minister was earlier this week informed by National Authorizing Officer Wilfred Pierre that his agency, which handles the disbursement of European Union funds in St. Lucia, had recently transferred a million dollars to two local lending institutions for onward lending to students.


According to Mr Pierre, whose office is under the ministerial umbrella of the Office of the Prime Minister, Government has made $750,000 available to the Bank of St. Lucia and $250,000 to the St. Lucia Cooperative League to help students pay the interest and security requirements of their loans.


The National Authorizing Officer says 57 persons will benefit from the facility through the Bank of St. Lucia, of which 25 are for student loans for persons going abroad to study in areas such as computers, tourism and management. Another 32 will benefit from loans to improve skills in the health sector (such as general nursing) and education.


Mr Pierre says 43 persons will benefit from the facility through the St. Lucia Cooperative League, comprising 13 for student loans and 30 for skills development.
To date, 22 members of the Teachers’ Credit Union have received Grant Funding from the Government’s Credit Facility. In addition, five students undergoing studies in Cuba are to receive assistance from the facility.


The Prime Minister, who is also Minister for Finance, says he is pleased that the facility is being made use of by students and teachers alike and that the lending institutions have been able to process the applications in quick time.


Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony has also indicated that a total of 46 Public Servants have been approved for Study Leave With Pay for the current academic year – the highest number in recent years.


Dr Anthony says that to date there are some 126 Public Officers abroad on Study Leave With Pay, of which 40 are teachers.


He noted, however, that with every increase in the number of persons approved, the cost to the public purse also increases. He explained that each public officer studying abroad with pay had to be replaced at his or her post by someone else, who must also be paid. In addition, the Government is also required to pay economic costs for those studying at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

 


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