London Phd student in the cold over schol

Keston Perry, 29, spoke to Sunday Newsday yesterday from London where he began pursuing a PhD in International Development at the University of London, three years ago, on a Trinidad and Tobago (TT) government scholarship.

His studies at the university are for four years, but Perry told Sunday Newsday his scholarship from the TT government covered expenses for tuition and housing for three years.

In order to complete his fourth and final year at the university, Perry applied for an extension of his threeyear scholarship but has not received any acknowledgement from the Ministry of Public Administration which oversees the scholarship programme, both local and abroad.He said his telephone calls and emails have fallen on deaf ears.

Perry said, “If I list all of the times I contacted the ministry, this note will be too long.” The last payment he received from Trinidad was in May 2015, but that was a lump sum for expenses up until December 2015.

A graduate of Queen’s Royal College, Perry won a national scholarship in the CAPE examination and pursed a degree at the University of the West Indies.

The government granted Perry a scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in Innovation/ Management at Newcastle in the United Kingdom.

Upon completion in 2013, Perry applied for and received an additional scholarship to read for a PhD degree in International Development studies which covered him up until May this year.

Perry said since May, he has been writing to Scholarship Division of the Ministry of Public Administration for the one-year extension but he has not been able to secure it.

He said, “Up to May, I was informed that my application was being processed, but since September, I have not received any communication.” Perry, whose aim is to return to his homeland and contribute to the country’s development, has been paying rent for his apartment in London from May to October out of his own pocket and with help from friends.

“Since then I have not gotten any word from the ministry.

“I do not know what is my fate, if it is that I would have to shack up (sic) my PhD for now and come back home,” Perry said. Perry has taken to social media network, Facebook, to plead his case, in which he has shared information from emails he had sent to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education as well as the Director of Scholarships since June 20.

Sunday Newsday contacted Education Minister Anthony Garcia who said he knew of Perry’s application.

Garcia explained that in order for anyone to be granted an extension on a scholarship, a note from the Scholarship Division has to be given to him to take to Parliament.

“No note has been presented to me to take to Parliament,” Garcia said.

“The minister, however, promised to look into the matter. This year, Government announced the Government Assistance Tertiary Education (GATE) programme will be scaled back with the introduction of a means test from the 2017 academic year, when post-graduate degrees will only funded if they align with the country’s development needs.

Also, from 2017 funding will be provided for one undergraduate degree and one postgraduate degree.