A committee has been formed to recommend and select the recipients of a number of education scholarships and awards.

Chaired by retired educator and Bermuda College board member Romelle Warner, the committee will consist of 15 people all chosen as a result of their “commitment to education and young people, as well as their significant professional expertise and community involvement,” according to a Ministry of Education statement.

“As promised in the 2016 Speech from the Throne, we have diversified and increased the Ministry’s offering of scholarship and award opportunities for students who pursue postsecondary educational studies locally or overseas,” said Cole Simons, Minister of Education.

“These new opportunities will provide our students with the opportunity to share their creativity, innovation, talent, determination, and leadership skills and abilities.

“The majority of the scholarships and awards are also based on financial need.”

Those on the committee are: Zayne Bean, Alick Bush, Cherie Dill, Patricia Dill-Chapman, Tina Duke, Sean Dunkley, Julie Dunstan, Gershon Gibbons, Sharmaine Landy, Kelly Madeiros, Amanda Outerbridge, Noel Pearman, Kellianne Smith, Clyde Symonds and Radell Tankard.

The new scholarships and awards include:

• Minister’s Achievement Scholarships for graduating public school students;

• Minister’s Merit Scholarships for graduating senior school students;

• Minister’s Technical and Vocational Awards for graduating public school students or recent public school alumni attending Bermuda College with an interest in technical and vocational studies;

• Minister’s Exceptional Student Awards for graduating students or school-leavers with disabilities.

The Minister’s Achievement Scholarships and Minister’s Merit Scholarships are valued at $25,000 for overseas education.

The Minister’s Technical and Vocational Awards and the Minister’s Exceptional Student Awards are valued at $25,000 for overseas study and $5,000 for local study.

“I would like to thank Mrs Romelle Warner and all other committee members for providing an important service on behalf of Bermuda’s young people,” added Mr Simons.

“Their contribution in bringing these new and diverse scholarships and awards to life will be a long-lasting contribution for our young people, as well as an investment in Bermuda’s social development and capital.”

The work of the new committee is short term and the successful scholarship and awards recipients are expected to be announced next month.