Dozens of young Saint Lucians are receiving financial support as they prepare for the new school year, with the Saint Lucia Civil Service Association (CSA) investing more than $40,000 through its annual scholarship and bursary programme. The scholarships were disbursed during a ceremony at the CSA headquarters in Sans Souci on August 20, 2026.
The initiative provides assistance to children of CSA members, with awards based on both academic merit and socio-economic circumstances.
Education Committee representative Lisa Goodman said five scholarships are being awarded as part of the programme.
“We give five scholarships, two based solely on merit and three based on socio-economic needs of the members,” Goodman said.
She explained that members are required to submit information to allow the association’s Education Committee to assess the applications.
“So members are to submit their forms with the information necessary for the committee to make those decisions,” she said.
The association also provides additional assistance to applicants who do not receive one of the scholarships.
“So today we are here presenting those five scholarships as well as bursaries,” Goodman said.
“We also give a one-time bursary to those parents who may have applied and were not successful at obtaining a scholarship for their children.”
CSA President Nickson Barry said the association’s commitment to the scholarship recipients extends beyond the initial financial award.
He said students receiving scholarships must maintain a 75 per cent average.
“Those who are receiving the scholarship, there is a 75% average that must be maintained,” Barry said.
However, he stressed that the association does not intend to simply provide financial assistance and leave students to navigate secondary school on their own.
“And we are putting measures in place to provide support to the students throughout,” he said.
“It’s not about just giving a scholarship and not being there throughout the journey.”
Barry said the CSA’s Education Committee will establish processes to monitor the students’ progress and maintain communication with them during their time on the programme.
“So we will be working with our education committee to put some processes in place to ensure that throughout the tenure that they are kept updated and we are aware of what’s going on in their lives,” he said.
He acknowledged that students’ circumstances can change during their school years.
“Because things change, things happen,” Barry said.
The CSA’s scholarship and bursary programme therefore combines financial assistance with ongoing engagement, as the association seeks to help children of its members meet the demands of secondary education and continue their academic development.