St. Lucia Insurance Council supports students
By Rebecca Miller

It was 1921 Nobel Prize recipient Jacques Anatole Thibault who wrote: “Nine tenths of education is encouragement.” And the St Lucia Insurance Council is playing its role of encouraging students by fostering the attainment of education of the children of its members by providing some financial assistance for the last seven years. Every year, the Council awards two five-year scholarships in the form of a cheque which covers books, uniforms and in some cases transportation.
According to Claudius Francis President of the Council, “The recipients did so well that it was extended to 7years.” To address the rising cost of books, the Council will review its amount of assistance and adjust it accordingly, he added.
One young man, Jason Gustave, a student of the Castries Comprehensive School succeeded at the CXC by attaining Grade I in Math and Grade II in English Language while still in the fourth form. That in itself was hailed as a mammoth accomplishment for it earned him another two year scholarship from the Insurance Council.
He said that the amount given by the Council will soon be addressed to coincide with the rising cost of books.

But even if other students might not be as excelling as Gustave, Francis said that parents need not fear, for some students simply need to be nudged in the right direction. He urged parents to encourage rather than chastise or ridicule their children when they fall short of the expected goal. Underperformance, he suggested could be due to too much pressure from parents in addition to external pressures. In that light he said, parents need to take time to communicate with their children, to listen to their concerns to be patient and to encourage them towards the path of excellence.
To the students, he said, the most important attitude to adopt was to “Do your best.”
Two other young students, Cheyenne Polius and Naomi Jn. Baptiste both just entering the St Joseph’s Convent and Kirby Auguste (entering Form I of the St Mary’s College) were also recipients of cheques and a bag with all the requisite exercise books to start school compliments the St Lucia Insurance Council.
Polius and Auguste promised that they would do their best at their studies as an indication of their appreciation for the gesture which indeed makes it possible for them to receive an education for the next five years. Twelve other students have also been recipients of assistance from the Council.