Good Morning,

On April 13, 2006, the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Telecommunications announced the inaugural launch of the Samuel "Fergie" Derrick Memorial Award for Excellence in Journalism.

Today, the Selection Committee announces the recipient of that scholarship.

This award for excellence in journalism is a full tuition scholarship being granted by the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Telecommunications in collaboration with the Board of Education.

The successful candidate will pursue a 3 year undergraduate degree in journalism at the University of the West Indies.

This scholarship has been developed to enhance the standard of journalism and to foster the scholastic endeavors of Antiguan and Barbudan Nationals wishing to pursue academic accreditation in this field.

I want to thank the Members of the Selection Committee for their commitment to this Endeavour: Honourable Gisele Isaac-Arrindell, Keva Margetson, Selvyn Walter (whom I understand will shortly be celebrating 50 years as a writer and journalist), Yvonne McMillan, Agnes Blaize and the various representatives of the Derrick Family.

I also want to thank the Honourable Bertrand Joseph, Minister of Education and the Board of Education for their unequivocal support for this scholarship.

Special thanks as well to the Daily Observer and ABS Radio and TV.

The Government is strongly committed to providing scholarships and training opportunities to facilitate a cadre of qualified media professionals. This commitment was boldly manifested in our manifesto, "Agenda for Change".

The Government's commitment to providing professional exposure to media personnel has had other dimensions. Last year, three Antiguans were accepted at Ithaca College in New York for summer programmes that were fully subsidized by Ithaca College and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.

The recipient of the Samuel "Fergie" Derrick Scholarship is herself a proud summer graduate of Ithaca College.

Next month, three other Antiguans and Barbudans will study at the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in upstate New York. Incidentally, this is one of the leading Colleges in the field of mass communications on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.

Last year, Ithaca College held a Reporters' Workshop in Antigua. The state owned media system was well represented at a Journalism Workshop held here last year under the auspices of the Antigua and Barbuda Media Congress, the BBC and CARIMAC.

In addition, this Government has sponsored training programmes for media practitioners in Suriname, St. Lucia, Israel and Barbados.

This is solid proof that the Government is strongly supportive of the development of professional expertise in media practice.

On behalf of the Government, I congratulate the winner.

I now invite the Honourable Gisele Isaac-Arrindell, Executive Secretary of the Board of Education to make the announcement of the 2006 Recipient of the Samuel "Fergie" Derrick Memorial Award for Excellence in Journalism.