You have to make this count for your community, especially those of you who come from rural parts of Saint Lucia, and you have to make this count for your country,” charged Education Minister Shawn Edward.
A new group of Saint Lucian students is set to begin higher education in the Republic of Cuba after being awarded full scholarships to pursue studies in various disciplines.
The students were honored during a brief send-off ceremony, where Education Minister Shawn Edward urged them to use the opportunity to create meaningful change at home.
Said Minister Edward: “Upon completion of your program, you must have a burning desire to return to Saint Lucia so that you can dispense your services to the population that you left behind, so that you can walk the streets of your communities and your country with pride and dignity, whereby children at the secondary level and even the primary level want to be like you.”
Edward also highlighted the government’s continued efforts to ensure that financial limitations do not block access to higher education. He noted that approximately $3 million has been placed at the Saint Lucia Development Bank to provide interest-free student loans.
“If your assets are not sufficient, that should not deprive you,” he said. “We believe that in 2025, the socioeconomic circumstances of a student or a family should not be an impediment to his or her ability to attain higher education.”
Cuban Ambassador to Saint Lucia, Yenielys Linares, praised the academic potential of the students and encouraged them to excel in both their studies and character.
“When preparing your documents, I could notice the potential. You have been excellent students and I hope that you will continue like this in Cuba,” she said.
“Be good students, seize the opportunity of becoming health professionals for the land of Derek Walcott and Sir Arthur Lewis. Be humane, be humble, be responsible, be examples for your nation and for the entire Caribbean.”
Hundreds of Saint Lucian professionals have already been trained in Cuba, and the ambassador expressed confidence that this new group will uphold that legacy while strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two nations.
