The Tribune

St Augustine’s College has produced the overall winner of the annual economics essay competition held last month at Anatol Rodgers Senior High School in Nassau.

Kiran Halkitis was judged to have written the best essay and came first in the competition. The runner-up was Kennesha Fraser of CI Gibson Senior High School while Kentel Lloyd of CV Bethel Senior High School took third place.

Proposed originally two years ago by The Nassau Institute and sponsored by the Templeton Religion Trust, this second annual competition was organised by The Department of Education in collaboration with the Institute. It was open to entrants from both public and private schools who were enrolled in business studies programmes. Sixty-five students from a dozen different schools took part.

They were required to write an essay in their own words under examination conditions on a subject based on the book “Economics in One Lesson” by the renowned American economist Henry Hazlitt. This book was circulated in advance to the schools concerned for the students to read in preparation.

At an awards presentation ceremony in the Ministry of Education on Friday, the three winners shared a cash prize of $1,000. Each was also presented with an inscribed trophy for submitting the best essay from their individual schools. In addition, the overall winner will attend a three-day high school economics seminar in Atlanta, Georgia in July under the auspices of the Foundation for Economic Education with all expenses paid. Apart from these winners, those who produced the best essay for each school received an inscribed trophy and all entrants received an individual certificate of participation.

The awards ceremony was attended by Mrs Keyshan Bastian, Assistant Director of Education, and by Rick Lowe, President of The Nassau Institute, as well as the teachers from the schools which participated. Mrs Bastian congratulated all the students who took part and thanked those who organised the competition. Former British High Commissioner Peter Young, who spearheaded the competition as a director of The Nassau Institute, presented the prizes.

Mr Young praised the students for the high standard of their essays and paid tribute to those concerned in The Department of Education for their effective work in arranging such a successful event. He mentioned, in particular, Gwendolyn Johnson, Education Officer for Business Studies, who had overall responsibility for the competition and he commended the efforts of Samantha Keziah Knowles of Central Eleuthera High School and Lakell Johnson of CR Walker Senior High School who handled the detailed arrangements. He also thanked the sponsors for their generous support.

The Nassau Institute has pledged to continue to work with The Department of Education in organising this annual essay competition and has also expressed a willingness to co-operate on other related projects in the future.