Alberta experienced Rutherford Scholarship application hitches instigated by a technological upgrade. Conversely, Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta’s Advanced Education Minister, toned down these implications following concerns raised by an Alberta high school counselor.
On Tuesday afternoon, he stipulated that the Rutherford Scholarship will be operative immediately as it was effective and accommodating applications. Nicolaides guaranteed parents and learners that every qualified student would obtain their awards normally as there would be no delay in applications.
Nicolaides also made a declaration that Rutherford Scholarship should not have been hindered by Alberta’s technological advancement. He acknowledged the presence of a miscommunication, but he implemented instant measures to tackle it so that scholarships could be accessible to Alberta students.
The initial announcement was that all scholarship applications will be postponed due to a “major technology upgrade” to the province’s student aid system until late fall rather than the beginning of August, as per prior years.
NDP’s view on Alberta’s Rutherford Scholarship
The NDP (New Democratic Party) proclaimed that the IT advancement should not have distorted the Rutherford Scholarship. Notably, David Eggen, a radical education opponent affiliated to NDP, acknowledged the minister’s efforts in eliminating the confusion though he needed to be more progressive.
He asserted that the minister answered calls from their caucus as well as from concerned students and parents upset by the perplexing oversight. Eggen also specified that they could continue monitoring the situation so that the learners could attain their scholarship money fully.
It was expected that this technological progression would defer applications to late fall.
Rutherford Scholarship fame in Alberta
This scholarship’s prominence in Alberta is outstanding. Notably, it a formidable force despite there being numerous scholarships accessible to learners. The Rutherford scholarship has been presented to high-school learners proceeding to post-secondary. This has happened for many years in this province.
Subject to scholars’ points in level ten, eleven and twelve (10, 11 &12), they can attain between three hundred and two thousand five hundred dollars ($300-2500). Specifically, learners’ suitability is dependent on whether they have maintained a mean of at least seventy-five percent (75%). Conversely, students attaining at least eighty percent (80%) get a larger amount.
Alberta high school counselor’s stipulation
The counselor who raised the interruption concerns asserted that the Rutherford Scholarship ought to be viewed as the big daddy. Rutherford tackles possibly ninety-nine percent (99%) of the province scholarships.
The counselor noted that Rutherford was applicable to hundreds for every school based on size. These concerns were raised at a time when Alaska Universities are facing a funding cut for more than two thousand five hundred (2500) scholarships.
Notably, Nicolaides assured learners and parents the scholarship program was back to normal.
Around 14,000 students are awarded some money from the scholarship each year, but the 2016-17 school year had 18,765 recipients and put the scholarship $7.5 million over budget.
“We will continue to monitor this situation to ensure that students get access to the scholarship money they earned in full and on time,” Eggen assured the beleaguered applicants.
