Highschool scholarship recipients
By Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Aug. 11, 2025
Ninety Belizean students were awarded scholarships on Friday, August 8, by the Social Security Board of Belize (SSB).
Of the 90 scholarship recipients, thirty-two are high school students, fifty-two are at the sixth form level, and six are vocational technical students.
The scholarship distribution is done annually by the SSB to enable deserving students to continue their education up to the sixth form level.
Vanessa Vellos, Communications and Public Relations Manager for SSB
“This is a significant event,” said Vanessa Vellos, Communications and Public Relations Manager for SSB. “You have a lot of students out there who study and do well in school, but they have a problem; they don’t have the finances to continue their education. So, what the Social Security Board is doing is providing that opportunity, that transition that you need from primary school to high school, and also from high school to the Associate degree level, the sixth form level,” she explained.
Every year, students submit their applications to the SSB with the required academic records and other documents that are reviewed to determine their eligibility. This year, over 200 applications were submitted. The scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of SSB’s criteria — financial status, grades (B+ or higher), and nationality (recipients must be Belizeans).
Vocational Technical scolarship recipients
Vellos noted that the number of students receiving scholarships from the board this year (90) is the largest since the program began in 2001.
“This year we’re giving out even more than we ever have to date, which is a total of 90 scholarships. So that makes it significant this year, and it shows our continued commitment to society, to the young, and to contributing to productive citizens in our country,” she said.
Sixth Form scholarship recipients
“… if you don’t have an education, it’s going to be difficult for you in society; you may end up in a cycle of poverty. If you’ve come out of poverty and you don’t have an education, then unless you are resilient, and different great opportunities come your way, you’re going to end up in a cycle of further poverty. So that is the way that the Social Security Board has prioritized. I guess you could call it financial wellness for the young, right? Investing in the young, and they become productive members of society,” Vellos remarked. Over a thousand scholarships have been distributed since the program’s inception.
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