Top student can’t get scholarship as money sent to wrong bank

Seven years ago, Colette Campbell's son was fortunate enough to get a full scholarship from the PetroCaribe Development Fund.

The scholarship covers tuition and books for the child's high school life as long as he keeps his grades up.

But following the Government's decision to close the fund on March 31, 2019, the entity decided to pay just over $132,000 to Campbell's son to cover its obligation to him under the scholarship.

"I got a letter a couple weeks ago that PetroCaribe send the money for him to complete his last two semesters. They congratulated him for staying on the programme for the past seven years, but I realised that they sent the money to the wrong bank," she said.

Campbell told THE STAR that this mistake came at the worst time as the company has closed down and her son is seeking to get into a university. She said that he has completed his first year of CAPE and is well on his way to taking on his CAPE Unit Two.

"He is focusing on the sciences because he said that he wants to be a surgeon. He has applied to many universities, and he is trying to get some scholarships. I am concerned about the money because we were budgeting for it to help him start college," she said.

The 39-year-old mother said that she has been trying for some time to see how she can get back the money, which has been sent to the wrong bank, but at every turn, it is like a dead-end. She made contact with the finance ministry but was told that there is nothing they could do. She said that the woman with whom she spoke tried helping her by speaking with a bank representative, however, they did not get any good news.

She also contacted her bank as well as the institution to which money was sent in error but was told that the issue was not with their bank and, as such, there was nothing they could do.

THE STAR contacted the financial institutions and was told by one that there was nothing they could do; however, calls to the other went unanswered.

Campbell, meanwhile, says that she would like someone to help her because she will leave no stone unturned for her child.