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Corporate Hands: NCB Foundation Pays CSEC Exam Fees

Published:Wednesday | February 10, 2016 | 12:00 AM
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Recipients of the NCB bursary and their teachers show their appreciation, after the presentation.
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Thalia Lyn, NCB Foundation chairman,poses with students after the presentation of the NCB National Bursary for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Principles of Accounts and Principles of Business
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Belinda Williams (back row, centre) - manager, Corporate Brand, Communications & Social Responsibility at the National Commercial Bank, is surrounded by appreciative Alpha Academy students, after her digital transfer of a bursary of $11,941,155.00 for high school students sitting this year's Principles Of Accounts and Principles Of Business exams.
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The NCB Foundation electronically paid out more than $11 million dollars to the Overseas Examination Council (OEC) for CSEC Principles of Accounts (POA), and Principles of Business (POB) examinations. The presentation was recently held at the Alpha Academy school, which has the largest number beneficiaries of the investment.

The donation marks the Foundation's 12th year supplying the national bursary, which allows students with an average exceeding 70 per cent to sit CSEC POA and POB examinations. Some 4,041 secondary- school students will benefit at the foundation's expense.

Addressing the ceremony of predominantly teachers and students, NCB Foundation chairman Thalia Lyn, said her organisation was driven by a passionate desire to support education. "NCB chairman Michael Lee-Chin lives by the belief, 'It is my dream that one day every Jamaican child will have the opportunity to complete tertiary education. It is my commitment to do all I can to realise that dream'. Therefore, we at NCB, have caught this vision and share the aspiration of our chairman," she said.

Lyn also noted that the Foundation has undertaken several key initiatives across all levels of education - one being the bursary for POB, and POA. Describing education as the catalyst for social change, she said supporting students' access to education was an avenue for the foundation to directly impact Jamaica's development.

Since its inception, more than $118 million for 92,313 students, in 114 high schools islandwide, has been paid out.

Principal of Alpha Academy Kali McMorris said, "This investment in our intellectual capital demonstrates NCB's acceptance in its role and responsibility to provide opportunities that will chart courses for youth, our future generation."

Belinda Williams, the bank's manager, Group Corporate Communications, electronically transferred the funds to the OEC, a move symbolic of the bank's current digitisation thrust.

Williams challenged the students to study hard.

"Your success is paying it forward because when you do well, you encourage us to pay for more students next year," she said, and then made a surprise donation of $100,000 from NCB to Alpha Academy's Creative Department.