Jamaica Labour Party awards tertiary scholarships

Scholarships amounting to $7 million were awarded by the Jamaica Labour Party for tertiary students. Five students, who were awarded full scholarships, will pursue first degrees in criminology, law, Spanish, computer science and data science. The law scholarship is valued at US$10,000 per year for three years, while the other subject areas are valued at between $500,000 and $700,000 each annually for three years. Two other students received grants to study law and urban planning.

Speaking at the scholarship awards function last Wednesday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the Jamaica Labour Party Scholarship Programme, which is now in its fourth year, has enabled seven students to graduate from tertiary institutions.

Fully funded past recipients of the Jamaica Labour Party Scholarships have completed or are studying biomedical and electrical engineering, public health and epidemiology, actuarial science, international relations, mathematics, economics, applied chemistry, teacher education and journalism.

The prime minister noted that in keeping with the Jamaica Labour Party’s objective of expanding access to education, the scholarship application process is executed with the highest degree of transparency and integrity and is completely non-partisan. He emphasised that the obligation placed on recipients of these scholarships is to live up to the academic requirements and, in their behaviour, honour the legacy of those whose names their scholarships bear.

HONOUR PAST MEMBERS

He also stated that the scholarships present an opportunity for the Jamaica Labour Party to honour past members.

This year’s scholarship honourees are:

• Hector Wynter;

• Professor Oswald Harding (scholarship for law);

• Robert Lightbourne (scholarship for computer science or AI) and grant for urban planning;

• Derrick Smith (scholarship for criminology);

• Christopher Bovell (scholarship for data science).

In previous years, beginning on the party’s 75th anniversary four years ago, scholarships were given in honour of Sir Alexander Bustamante, Sir Donald Sangster, Hugh Shearer, Edward Seaga, Bruce Golding, Shahine Robinson, Ken Baugh, Neville Gallimore, Dwight Nelson, Ryan Peralto, Edwin Allen, Anthony Johnson, Jeanette Grant Woodham and Douglas Vaz.

More than 200 tertiary-level students have benefited from the Jamaica Labour Party Scholarship Programme, which has also directly donated to tertiary institutions.

Meanwhile, commenting on the Jamaica Labour Party administration, now in the middle of its second term, Prime Minister Holness said the challenges of dealing with a pandemic and geopolitical developments demanded that the Government take specific actions. He noted that these would have impacted Jamaicans’ experience of democracy and their feelings and perception of equity in applying the law. He says to the best of the Government’s ability, it strives for fairness across the board.

Further, the prime minister appealed to Jamaicans who wish to serve to explore ways the country could benefit from their talents and bright ideas. He says the political landscape must attract the best and the brightest to propel Jamaica forward.