Samaritan project aims to provide crutch for education system Stabroek News March 3, 2000 Students throughout the country will be soon benefit from the newly launched Samaritan Gold Medal Coupons project, which is aimed at helping students achieve goals they have set themselves. The project, which was launched on Wednesday at the Waterchris Hotel and is headed by Robert Sam of Clico Insurance Company, is a partnership between schools and businesses which is intended to yield funds for the schools and increased sales for the businesses. According to Sam, Clico Insurance Company will also play a major part in the project. De Sinco Trading and Wieting and Richter are the first two businesses to support the project and some of the products they are currently offering include juices, cereals, biscuits, powdered milk and toothpaste. Explaining how the project works Sam said that the businesses would agree to a cash discount per item in the form of a coupon, then a Samaritan Gold Medal sticker would be attached to the item indicating the discount. He said the coupon equivalent to the discount shown on the sticker would be given to the customer upon purchase of such an item and the customer would then place the sticker on the coupon and donate it to a school of his or her choice. The schools, Sam said, would carry the collected coupons to Samaritan Help's office for encashment. Samaritan Help would then collect payment from the business and give at least 50% to the participating schools. The project will supply all stickers, coupons and cover the promotion necessary for its success. According to Sam the 50% given to the schools would be used to pay for any school-related expense such as computers, office furniture, home economics equipment, sports equipment, books, laboratory supplies and insurance policies for students. The director said that at present the school system is catering for academics and not those students who would have interests in other areas, such as sports and dancing. He said he believed that a person's talent must be given an opportunity to develop.