JLP to provide 80 scholarships as part of 80th anniversary celebrations
Published:Monday | July 10, 2023 | 7:18 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
Eighty fortunate Jamaican students will have the opportunity of receiving scholarships and bursaries from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) as part of the political party’s 80th milestone anniversary celebrations this year.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, the leader of the JLP, made the announcement during the church service for the 80th anniversary of the JLP which was held at Portmore Seventh-day Adventist Church in St Catherine on Saturday.
“For the past five years, the Jamaica Labour Party has acknowledged its corporate social responsibility and we have done this by offering national scholarships. The 2023 national scholarship cycle, which coincides with our 80th anniversary will see eight national scholarships named in honour of past and present ministers of government, as well as, members of the party, past and present, who have given sterling service,” Holness said.
He said that, in addition to these full scholarships, each constituency will receive a bursary, and a further eight bursaries will be offered to two youth affiliates of the JLP, Young Jamaica and G2K.
This year, there will also be a special category, the Prime Minister’s Scholarship, details of which will be announced at a later date.
This year, the scholarships which value up to $500,000 per year per student for a maximum of three years and will be tenable at the University of the West Indies, Mona, the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts and the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE).
They include:
• Dorothy Carter Bradford Scholarship for Environment and Climate Change
• Hugh Hart Scholarship for Biotechnology and Biochemistry
• The Honourable Gladys Bustamante Scholarship for the Creative Arts
• Isaac Barrett Scholarship for Agriculture
• Joseph McPherson Scholarship for Journalism
• Cecilyn Cross Scholarship for Social Work
• DC Tavares Scholarship for Business and Finance
• Frank Phipps Scholarship for History
In addition to that announcement, Holness reiterated achievements under the JLP’s administration as government since winning the last general election, such as the reduction in the nation’s debt-servicing burden by 28 per cent.
“Our economy has never been as strong as it is today. After decades of struggling with a debt crisis, and paying as high as 60 per cent of our Budget to debt service, we are now seeing the dividends of a reduced debt servicing burden of 28 per cent and the financial space it creates to increase expenditure on social investments in the areas of education, health, housing, national security, infrastructure, energy, environment and social welfare,” Holness said.
“We reflect on our past and we give thanks to God for guarding us with His mighty hand. We cast our eyes to the future,” he said.
As the JLP celebrates 80 years of existence, Holness said the nation was now in the best position to fulfill the true potential of nation and the JLP was energised and ready to lead Jamaica to a destiny of peace and prosperity.
“The Jamaica Labour Party will not stand still. We are preparing for the challenges ahead - ending absolute poverty in Jamaica, building world-class infrastructure, creating the technology society, climate proofing our country, removing the disease of violence from our land and securing peace for our people,” Holness said.
“It is clear that it is the Jamaica Labour Party that has registered the highest growth, the lowest inflation, the lowest unemployment, the largest increase in the personal income of Jamaicans. These are facts that are indisputable [and] immutable,” he said.
Holness said the JLP would continue its good stewardship beyond the 80 years of existence.
“Being a good steward is not enough. Increasing the talents given to us is not enough to keep the people from fatigue, to drown out the fractious man. Having done well, we show the people, we must show the light of achievement to the people, because that is what gives them faith and hope to continue in the struggle of improvement,” he said.
“We will continue to take on the difficult challenges and make the changes necessary to transform Jamaica into the future to which we all aspire,” he said.
The JLP was launched on July 8, 1943.