16 August, 2014

Dear Sir,

I write this letter to encourage readers (especially young Bermudians) to make their voices louder in Bermuda on this issue I am going to bring up — higher education for Bermudians.

Bermuda College can only do so much. Bermudians seeking higher education most often must go abroad to do so. The cost of doing this is outrageous at times. The scholarships in Bermuda are given on “merit only.”

I have questioned government officials on both sides of the House in the past on this, as many sit on scholarship committees. I question it because Bermuda is a small place as we know, and you see individuals, who yes, may be quite intelligent, but belong to quite wealthy families and who without the scholarship would STILL be going to school as their families can easily afford it.

Middle to lower class students who are just as, if not more so, intelligent are rarely seen to get the awards, yet without them they are doomed to be stuck in Bermuda doing jobs they are overqualified to do. This creates more people going for jobs that don’t require higher education leaving higher education jobs vacant and needing expats to fill them.

The banks in Bermuda are TERRIBLE. The amount of interest they expect students to pay, and the actual loan payments demanded of them upon completion, can be higher than house mortgages! I myself am in school trying to pursue a job in healthcare, and the amount of debt racking up I am facing having to drop out because at the end there is no way I can afford to pay the banks the amount they seek.

The OBA, PLP or whomever needs to step in and do something. If you want Bermudians back with higher education, and to compete in the global market, then help them! Where did the interest free student loans go? Why are there not at least very low interest rate ones available?

It is almost impossible for anybody middle to lower class to afford higher education, yet you complain foreigners must be brought it? Of course! In their countries they have interest free/low interest student loans and better financial help for their people.

Bermuda is too small and we must face the fact we need to be educated abroad after high school. Give Bermudians the tools to do so!

Robert Davies Jr

Florida International University Student