St John’s, Antigua — Montserrat students have been offered a scholarship to pursue studies at the American International College of Arts and Sciences (AICASA) or the American University of Antigua – College of Medicine (AUA).
Following discussions with premier of Montserrat Donaldson Romeo on the possibilities of having Montserrat students pursue medical studies in Antigua and Barbuda, Prime Minister Gaston Browne approached the American University of Antigua for assistance.
On Tuesday, the vice president of international affairs and dean of library services and academic support, Dr Majid Pathan announced that, following consultations with the president of AUA, Neil Simon, the request made by Browne has been approved.
“Due to our excellent relationship with the Hon. Gaston Browne, whom these institutions and their managements hold in the highest regards, the president is extremely happy to grant one scholarship annually to a citizen of Montserrat either for courses leading to an Associate of Science in Health Sciences or the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree,” Pathan announced.
Browne, in commenting on the approval of his request, said that his government sees the education of the young people of Antigua and Barbuda and the region including the sister nation of Montserrat, as fundamental towards our nations’ future development.
“That is why our government places great emphasis in ensuring that as many as possible of our young people are given opportunities to pursue tertiary level education,” he said.
Under the AUA/AICASA scholarship programme, Montserratian students, as are Antiguan and Barbudan students, will be required to maintain a satisfactory academic progress (SAP) and maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher in each course and semester.
The AUA and the AICASA grant six scholarships each on an annual basis for Antiguan and Barbudan students to pursue studies in their institutions.