At Home: New scholarship launched for children of fallen soldiers
A new scholarship program has been launched in Canada, one That’s designed to help the children of fallen soldiers attend university. Known as Project Hero, the scholarship will be offered at four universities in Ontario, Calgary, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The scholarship will apply to those pursuing undergraduate degrees, and whose parents were killed while on active Canadian military missions.
As the CBC reports, the four universities offering the scholarship so far are the University of Ottawa, the University of Windsor, the University of Calgary, and Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Ann Tierney, vice-provost (students) at U of C, explained in a statement to reporters that the scholarship ?is an expression of support for Canadian Forces soldiers and their families, and a way of honouring those who pay the ultimate price for serving their country.?
The program was launched by retired general Rick Hillier, former chief of defence staff and now chancellor of Memorial University in Newfoundland. Scheduled to begin September 1, the scholarship will cover the cost of ?undergraduate tuition for four years, as well as on-campus residence fees for the first year.?
While the Department of National Defence provides loans for post-secondary studies, Project Hero ?is the first free tuition program in Canada.?
In Foreign News: School snack program improves attendance
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective, as education officials in Angola are proving. According to the Angola Press Agency, a snack program at primary schools ?has already benefited 1.3 million students? and is contributing to lower levels of dropouts and failure.
In an address to the 4th National Forum on Children, the Angolan minister of education, António Burity da Silva, reported that the government-sponsored program has shown positive results across the 16 provinces it covers. The cost for the program may sound high at an estimated $90 million USD per year, but the ?daily average of the snack cost per student? is just 29 cents. Helping students to concentrate better in class has been seen to improve attendance and, in the long run, will lower the social costs of school failure.
From 2009 to 2011, the Ministry of Education plans to implement other social-support programs. Along with expanding the snack program to all schools, a generalized health care scheme will be put into effect as well an expansion of committees to combat drug use.