Scholarship vetting system under APNU/AFC flawed, skewed to 1 demographic – Minister

Public Service Minister Sonia Parag on Monday disclosed that the system for vetting scholarships was heavily flawed over the past five years under the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) – something which the new Administration will modify to benefit all Guyanese.

Since the new PPP/C Government initiated their transition into power, several damning issues have been unearthed within the various sectors. During a virtual press conference, Minister Parag said she found that the awarding of scholarships throughout the Granger-led regime was highly skewed.
“What I have found is that the system that we have for vetting scholarships is heavily flawed. That is what I have personally observed and that is something that I plan to review and change. If I may say, it is skewed to one demographic and geographic in Guyana. That has been going on for the last five years,” Parag disclosed.
For persons who would have applied before and were denied or those that were facing other difficulties, the Minister said such will be looked at on a case by case basis. The entire system will be reviewed to ensure that these services benefit all stakeholders.
“The review of those persons will be on a case by case basis…The PPP/C Government has always said that it is going to be fair, transparent to Guyanese. That is what we plan to do.”

Rejection
Just a few days ago, it was reported that a medical doctor was denied six times when he applied for scholarships or sponsorship to study neurology under the APNU/AFC Administration. Dr Jason Ramcharran would have studied in Cuba from 2008 to 2015. He recorded almost perfect scores in all the subjects he covered in both theory and practice.
After returning, his first posting was at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), but Ramcharran, who hails from La Penitence, Georgetown, always aspired to be a neurologist. He first applied for a post-graduate scholarship to study neurology in China in the 2016/2017 academic year.
In a letter dated February 24, 2016, then Permanent Secretary in the Department of Public Service, Reginald Brotherson wrote the young doctor informing him that his application was being refused because of limited scholarships and “due to the competitive nature of the selection process”.
But that same year, Ramcharran was accepted by the University of Medical Sciences Havana to do the neurology programme. He approached the Government again, this time writing to the then Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, seeking sponsorship to do his post-graduate studies in Cuba. Harmon referred his request to the relevant agency and on June 13, 2016, he got a second rejection letter from Brotherson.
This time the letter cited a lack of finances for rejecting him. According to Brotherson in the letter, “due to budgetary constraints, your request cannot be facilitated at this time.”
Undeterred, Ramcharran reapplied in 2017 for a scholarship to study in China. He was again informed by Brotherson in a letter dated March 27, 2017, that he would not be getting the scholarship, this time because of an unnamed requirement he failed to meet. The rejection continued later and was coupled with other excuses.
Guyana Times published Ramcharran’s story on August 23, 2020.
After assuming office, Minister Parag had explained that her most urgent task is to ensure that those Guyanese who returned from scholarship programmes are adequately employed. She underscored that one of her main goals, as she embarks on this new journey, is to have the citizenry involved, especially the young people. As such, her aim is to see Guyanese of all walks of life benefit from scholarships. (G12)