CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 10, 2007)
Minister with responsibility for Social Transformation in the Nevis Island Administration the Hon. Hensley Daniel said the Administration’s interest and support for the Alexander Hamilton Scholarship Fund through the Department of Community Development, was in keeping with its commitment to provide education for all at every level.
The Hon. Hensley Daniel made the comment on Wednesday January 10, 2007, during an interview with the Department of Information at his Charlestown office on the eve of the Fund’s Tea Party, which is scheduled to be re launched, after a six- year absence, on Thursday January 11, on the grounds of the Museum History at 4pm.
“This [Tea Party] marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Hamilton who became the first Secretary of the Treasury in the United States and so we want to use part of our history to create opportunities for the development of our young people. This has been done successfully in the past and the New Nevis Reformation Party Government will re start this fund, so that most students will benefit and students will know we [NIA] are working at different levels to provide educational opportunities for them.“We [NIA] restarted the fund because we need to use our history to create opportunities for economic and social development. So we are using an event in history to generate money for the development of young people that is why it is necessary to look at critical points in our history and use them to generate revenue or resources to help these high school students,” he said.
The Alexander Hamilton Scholarship Fund began in1966 by the late Marian Trott to assist deserving needy students on the island with their secondary education through the provision of books, uniforms and other school supplies.
According to Mr. Daniel, the students who were awarded the scholarships, had a record of creditable performance and were in need of the assistance. The selection process was done by the teachers and the schools would submit the names to the Chairman of the Fund Committee who would give the final approval. He said sometimes the process necessitated a visit to the student at school and or home to ensure that the most deserving students benefit.
He said the last fund raising Tea Party was held in January 1999, the last month he had served as Director of the Community Affairs Department.
Mr. Daniel also took the opportunity to thank the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society and the Federation’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Dr. Ezben Williams, for highlighting the effort to focus on Alexander Hamilton’s 250th birthday, who he said, was the best Secretary of the Treasury in the United States and was Nevisian by birth.