Published on: 9/2/08.
I GREW UP as a youngster hearing of the Democratic Labour Party being
for and about education.
Mr Prime Minister, please, you need to know what is going on with the
young leaders of this country when it comes to studying. I mean what you
did was fantastic with raising the student loan amount and lowering the
interest rate. Job well done.
The truth of the matter is, we the students that are studying in Cuba
are barely making it. We have what is supposed to be a scholarship which
really only is an academic award given to us.
What does this scholarship entitle us to free boarding at the
university, free books, free meals and so on. That is about it. A $4 000
start-up from Government for the first year and that is it.
After that you have to fend for yourself. Now what kind of scholarship
is that? If you or your family do not have any money, one is in for a
tough ride in Cuba. So is the case that I am facing now along with a few
others as well.
We are expected to make that amount work for us for an entire year in a
place where virtually you cannot even work to say well, this will help.
But you know what the best part of it is. Your second year, where you
have to foot everything; food, clothes, seeing Cuba gets very cold,
shoes, everything, and what does the Government do? Nothing! Plane fare
alone is almost $1 500, this means one has to come back here and work to
see if one can raise enough money to get back, and how is that going to
happen seeing that one is only here for about two months, and if one has
to rent like I do, it is even worse.
Yes, get a loan from the Student Revolving Loan Fund, which, by the way,
only gives you up to $25 000; while other scholarship holders get to
borrow up to the now allotted $100 000, which before was only $50 000.
Now if this is a scholarship like the others, why is there a limit on
how much we can borrow? Cuba is the hardest place to study; you cannot
even take in more than 30 kg.
For an entire year we have to make do with wearing the same clothes over
and over and over, because we cannot take in more than 30 kg.
Mr Prime Minister, please look into this matter, take a visit to Cuba
and see for yourself how hard it is to study there, spend a week or two
there so you could really get the gist of it.
Barbados has had relations with Cuba as far back as the 1970s. This is a
cry out to you, Mr Prime Minister, to assist the students in Cuba as we
desperately need help. I went to Cuba for the first time weighing an
impressive 198 pounds and fit. Within three months I weighed in at 175
pounds unfit, what a dramatic change seeing I have never been at this
weight.
Help us, Mr Prime Minister. We are crying out to you.
– LEROND WEBSTER
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