UWI to forgo $1b in scholarship grants

Pro-vice-chancellor and principal of The University of the West Indies, Mona, Professor Dale Webber, said the tertiary institution will have to forgo J$1 billion in grants for students’ internal scholarships this year because of COVID-19.

Speaking during a virtual launch of the Dr Lawrence and Davis Scholarship, which is valued at US$100,000, Webber indicated that the university’s financial health has been affected by the pandemic.

“One billion dollars makes a lot of difference to a lot of students. In order not to lose those students, we have been trying to find donors, partners, friends who are willing to step in and give scholarships,” he said.

The scholarship, which was handed over Tuesday, will provide support for Jamaican students in the Department of Life Sciences and Centre for Biotechnology in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the university.