Education Committee Report 2002
In January of this year the Education Committee and members of the Executive wrote to Diane Eyre, outlining our concerns about DFAIT support for education. In this letter we focused on the need to have regular group information seminars on various topics of concern, both for families going out on postings as well as for families that are returning to Ottawa.
It has been our view that families returning to post often encounter more problems with their children's education than those going abroad. In addition, we pointed out the need to have continuity in the position of the Education Advisor, and to ensure that the position not be combined with other duties, that it be a full-time focus.
Later we were able to meet with the new Education Advisor, Nancy Thorpe, who was already hard at work preparing for the posting season. I encourage anyone with children to touch base with Nancy and research what SERV has to offer. Especially of interest is the Education Report on the SERV website. It is available only on intranet, so it will be necessary for spouses to read it at the embassies abroad or at SERV in the Lester B Pearson building, but has some excellent material for returning families and is worth reading.
FSCA bursaries
Again, it is time for FSCA members to remind their post-secondary school children that if they are studying at the undergraduate level at college or university in Canada they may apply for a bursary from the FSCA. This year, we will be offering two bursaries of $300 each. They are open to the children of FSCA members (must be members in good standing for at least one year) who have successfully completed at least one year of a university or community college and are entering their next undergraduate year full time in Canada.
An application form may be obtained through the FSCA office. It is important to note that recipients of these bursaries are not selected on the basis of academic merit or financial need - a process that would not only be expensive but also difficult to administer. These bursaries are rather small financial gifts meant to support our young people in their studies, through all the many adjustments they have had to make through their many school changes. Recipients are chosen impartially and at random from among the applications we have received by the deadline date.
The deadline for these bursaries is August 25th,2002; successful applicants will be notified at the end of August. In past years we asked that applicants send us a short essay about their experiences as diplomatic children, but this year the FSCA executive decided that we would ask only the recipients of the bursaries to write briefly of their experiences as a prerequisite for receiving the bursary.
You can find an application form on our website.
Respectfully submitted, Jennifer Davidson