May 29, 2013Dear Sir,I do not think anybody will disagree that a person’s education is a key way to secure a future and upward mobility in society. So why then does Bermuda make it so very difficult for middle/working class citizens to do so? People boast of the many scholarships out there that go unapplied for. True, there are many, but the vast bulk is in business-related fields. The first step is making far more scholarships open to various fields.Furthermore, there is the debate of the rich getting them. I understand that yes, a student of a well-off family should not be penalised. But let’s be real. Without the scholarship they will still be able to afford to go to university and obtain a job. They will be able probably go to a much better university than a student of a low- to middle-class student even with a scholarship to come back a probably the that other student’s boss even still.The Bermuda cronyism way of life is strong. The upper class protects their class system rigidly and keeps the rest of us down. I had a 4.0 in high school and was vastly involved in school life and community life. I’ve lost track of the amount of scholarships I’ve applied to, but I know how many I have obtained — zero. Because I am not a rich member of Bermuda (regardless of colour) I don’t have the social network or the means to pay for school alone. But on the flip side of the coin in regards to lower class, here is where colour does come in. I’m white (Portuguese). Therefore, in the Bermuda class hierarchy, I am not good enough to rub elbows with the rich ‘white’ Bermudians and resented by middle/lower class black Bermudians.I fall into “the other white people” category which makes me get skipped over constantly for jobs and financial help. Lastly, the banks here are utterly ridiculous. No students interest-free loans are left and the rate of interest they slam on a student is unfeasible to pay such that relatives have to back you and you’re entrenched in debt after schools for many years. When is the Government going to fix this? Last I saw the OBA cut student scholarships via government as the national debt was too high!ROBERT DAVIES JRFlorida