local scholarship winners.

Government Senate Leader Milton Scott moved the Bermuda Government Scholarships Amendment Act 2000, noting that the Bermuda Government Scholarship, which is awarded on the basis of high academic achievement, was considered one of the most "prestigious'' Government awards.

And he said scholarships made available by the private sector -- most notably the Bank of Bermuda and Bank of Butterfield scholarships -- have surpassed the Government award in previous years.

To this end, the amendment would allow the scholarship to be increased from $12,500 to $15,000. The bill also prohibited anyone from applying for a second award. But Sen. Scott said the committee wanted to broaden qualifications to ensure that worthy students were not excluded -- for example, by considering all extra-curricular activities instead of just athletics. He noted that "there seems to be the perception that these awards are only available to those going into law or medicine -- and that's not the case''.

And he emphasised that the awards were available to Bermudians interested in studying liberal arts as well.

"The committee wants to be flexible, and we are trying to make the application process as open as possible,'' said Sen. Scott.

But UBP Senator Maxwell Burgess said that while the award increase was a "noble, commendable thing'', he was nevertheless "bitterly disappointed'' at Government missing the opportunity "to be creative and think outside the box''.

He said Bermuda College students who received the scholarship -- and could only use the award for their studies abroad -- should be able to apply the two remaining years toward a Master's or Ph.D.

"We don't want to penalise students for going to Bermuda College -- we want to encourage them, and this could've been used as an incentive,'' Sen. Burgess said. And he suggested offering an additional Masters' scholarship for the Government Scholarship winner who earned the highest grade point average.

Sen. Burgess objected to the provision in the bill which does not allow, for example, a 17-year-old who has received the award to apply for another year except at the discretion of the Education Minister.

And he said the year renewal should be automatic instead of being contingent upon "the whims of the Minister of the day''.

Sen. Burgess said he did not want bright 17-year-olds suffering from "nerd syndrome'', noting that there should be incentives for them to aim high.

"Nerds need to know that at the end of the line, there's something in it for them and they don't have to worry about calling Uncle Milton to make sure it's okay -- the system will provide,'' he said.

"The more nerds we produce, the more we stand the chance of finding our Bill Gates, our Einstein,'' he added.

And he blasted the age-limit caps on such scholarships, noting that "a crystal-clear message should be sent to the community'' that Government encouraged older people already in the work force who wanted to "retool''.

Government Senator Calvin Smith said, although he was tempted to support the removal of the age limitations on scholarships, that young people trying to get a college education did not have as much money as people who had been in the work force for some years.

But UBP Senator Mark Pettingill disagreed with the age restriction, stating that a lot of intelligent yet "wayward'' and "directionless'' young people, especially males, were being lost through the cracks when they discover their niche after hitting their mid-twenties.

And Independent Senator Jeanette Cannonier questioned what provisions were available for those who, despite the "value for money'' of Bermuda College, were still unable to afford it.

Sen. Scott said once Bermuda College became Bermuda University College, they would consider amending the Act to include the institution as an applicable institution for the award.

And he added that the amendments to the Act would not be effective until next year. The bill was then passed.

Milton Scott