40th anniversary of Chevening Scholarship: Guyana congratulates UK Govt for contributing to local human resource development

The four Guyanese who have been awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship to pursue studies in various fields at renowned universities in the United Kingdom (UK), beginning this fall, are excited to begin this new educational journey.

At the 40th anniversary of the Guyanese Chevening Scholarship Programme, the British High Commission in Guyana hosted a reception in honour of the awardees.
The recipients of the Chevening Scholarships for this year are Keisha Edwards, Joshua Benn, Deanna Walcott, and Amrita Naraine.
UK Ambassador to Guyana, Jane Miller in her address to the gathering said that over the 40 years of the Chevening Scholarship, approximately 150 Guyanese have already had the opportunity to pursue additional studies in the UK.
While delivering the feature address, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, a Chevening Alumni himself, congratulated the recipients, wished them well in their studies while urging them to take advantage of the opportunity not only to obtain a world class education in the UK but also to immerse themselves in the cosmopolitan experience of living and studying in a diverse multicultural society, and thereby broaden their world view, all of which would be critical in the modern Guyana.
Further, he congratulated the UK Government for initiating the Chevening Scholarship programme 40 years ago, and for contributing to Guyana’s human resource development through the tertiary education scheme. He noted that not only has the programme prepared 55,000-plus persons worldwide for leadership in their respective spheres of activity and equipped them with the skills that are needed to make a valuable contribution to the society to which they’ll be returning, but the UK has also managed to make 55,000 friends and ambassadors.
In a brief interview with this publication, at the ceremony, Keisha Edwards, Owner and Creative Director of the fashion brand Shasha Designs, shared that she applied for the scholarship even though at first, she did not think that she would have gotten the opportunity since no one from the fashion industry has ever applied or received a scholarship of this nature from Chevening.
However, she said she was encouraged by her colleagues to apply. Edwards noted that studying Business Management in fashion is important saying, “this Master’s isn’t just for me, it’s for the entire creative industry and we could revamp Mashramani in Guyana.” She will be pursuing a Master’s in Fashion Business Management at the University of Westminster. She also has a Bachelor’s in Sociology from the University of Guyana and has finished a certificate programme in Fabric Selection and Design Style at the New School-Parsons School of Design in the United States of America.
Also receiving a scholarship for Creative Data Science and AI, Amrita Naraine spoke on some challenges that exist in Guyana that she is hoping to return to address. Naraine said “There is a huge loophole here in Guyana,” that is market reach and she hopes to come back to Guyana and start her own market reach company which she believes can help fix some of these loopholes once she has completed her scholarship studies.
Meanwhile, Joshua Benn, another scholar, is an attorney-at-law and tutorial lecturer at the University of Guyana’s Department of Law. Benn will pursue an LLM in Oil, Gas, and Renewable Energy Law.
Deanna Walcott, born and raised in the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) will be pursuing her MSc journey in Occupational Safety, Health, and Environment at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Chevening is the United Kingdom Government’s international scholarship and fellowship programme. Fully funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations.
Chevening Scholars study subjects in almost any field, and go on to implement their ideas for positive change in a range of sectors.
The Chevening Scholarship was founded in 1983. The next round of scholarship applications opens on September 12 and closes in November.