Upon the request of the Commissioner of Education and taking into consideration the number of work days that will be lost as a result of the Christmas holidays and the closure of Government’s offices, the period for the submission of study financing which officially ends on Wednesday, December 31, 2008, has been extended to Thursday, January 15, 2009.
Persons seeking study financing from government are advised that there will be NO extension for the submission of study financing after January 15, 2009. Considering the fact that an extension has been granted persons are also asked to ensure that all the required documents are attached to the request for study financing.
To come into consideration for study financing applicants must meet the following requirements as outlined in Article 2 of the Study Financing Ordinance.
The applicant must:
1. be born on St. Maarten or one of their parents were born on St. Maarten;
2. have been a resident of St. Maarten for at least five years preceding the request;
3. have the Dutch nationality;
4. have reached the age of 18 but have not yet reached the age of 26 by September 1, 2009
5. by the time the Study Financing Committee meets, complete secondary education successfully obtaining a diploma or certificate with the required number of passes for the type of study to be followed.
In general this means:
1. a satisfactory score in English and subjects related to the area of study for those desirous of completing studies in English institutions;
2. a satisfactory score in Dutch and subjects related to the area of study for those desirous of completing studies in Dutch
3. Six General CXC passes at levels I, II or III for Bachelor studies;
4. The required number of satisfactory passes at VSBO TKL and PKL;
5. Persons without a high school diploma can come into consideration for study financing with a GED score that is 480 or above;
6. A completed Bachelor study with a GPA of 3.0 or higher for those wishing to pursue Master studies.
Q. A. Harrigan (Mr.)
Head, Insular Department of Education