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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
VICTORIA – The Province is awarding $6.8 million in scholarships to nearly 7,000 B.C. students for their exceptional achievements in the 2007-08 school year, Education Minister Shirley Bond announced today.
“B.C. students work hard to achieve great results and we want to reward them for that effort with scholarships to help them go on to post-secondary education,” said Bond. “This level of achievement from so many students is another example of British Columbia’s outstanding education system.”
Last year, 6,724 students were awarded provincial and district scholarships. The 3,726 Grade 12 Graduation Program Examinations winners received $1,000 scholarships for achieving 86 per cent or higher on each of their three best Grade 12 provincial exams and at least a “B” in English 12, Français langue première 12 or English 12 First Peoples.
Out of the 3,726 provincial winners, the top 21 students were awarded $2,500 scholarships for scoring the highest in the province. Seven students achieved perfect scores on three provincial exams, earning each of them an academic gold medal of excellence. Grade 12 provincial exams are worth 40 per cent of a student’s final mark.
The 2,977 district scholarship winners who won awards from the Dogwood District/Authority Program received $1,000 each for excelling in non-academic specialty areas, such as in fine arts, applied skills, physical activity and second languages.
“Congratulations to each of these students and thank you to the teachers and support staff who have assisted them along the way,” said Bond.
Since 2000-01, the Province has increased funding to B.C. public schools by close to $1.3 billion: $873 million in operating grants and $407 million in one-time grants. During the same period, the number of students in the system has declined by nearly 53,000.
The Province currently spends almost $30 million a
year on scholarships and bursaries and has spent $1.44 billion in student
financial assistance since 2001.
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Ministry of Education 250 356-5963 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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