Dear Editor,
In accordance with the conclusion of the Appeal Committee Study Financing (that the denial of study financing to Ms. Juliy had been legally wrong) the Minister of Education has decided to retract her original decision and to still honour Juliy's request on which I wrote two letters to the editor of this newspaper.
Juliy thereupon has signed the required loan agreement and the Education Department now has initiated the process to instruct the Finance Department to refund her certain expenses she has made, like for her ticket to the Netherlands, for her first monthly living expenses and for study books; although not for those expenses incurred by her mother for travelling with her.
With this process on its way, not only have many been proven wrong by predicting (thereby giving various reasons) that Juliy's quest for justice would never be compensated, but more importantly her trust in the government of the island of her birth has been restored.
Even for me, as her legal representative in this, it also has been a very gratifying experience.
In the meeting I had last Monday with Mr. Antonio Aventurin Division Head Study Financing for the Ministry of Education and his assistant Mrs. Yolanda Jackson-Martina I was again reminded of the, at times difficult, position a civil servant can find him/herself in, having to defend a government position, which may sometimes have serious flaws in it.
Mr. Aventurin informed me that the establishment of government's policy regarding study financing was the responsibility of a different sector of the Ministry than his and that indeed a beginning has been made to improve that policy, something that has been long overdue.
The meeting was a very professional and pleasant one and at the end I again have offered my assistance towards that process, something I had already expressed to the Minister herself.
The positive end of this story shows that although the struggle for justice many times can be a very hard one requiring much courage and perseverance it still is always worthy, not only as one's right but also as one's moral obligation, while meanwhile we also have to acknowledge that despite many things which still can and must be corrected, we can be fortunate to live in a country where democracy and justice (most of the times) ultimately are respected.
May Juliy's case serve as an example for many among us who practically have lost hope and have concluded that the powerful never will give in to what they see as an attack on their protected and privileged position, particularly when one belongs to a vulnerable social economic group in society.
My congratulations also goes to the Minister of Education who also has shown the courage to overturn her original decision to deny Juliy's request to be helped in pursuing her studies with government's assistance.
Elco Rosario
