East Kingston students empowered for high-school life
Published:Wednesday | August 22, 2018 | 12:00 AMPaul Clarke/Gleaner Writer
Ten students from primary schools in east Kingston were on Wednesday presented with scholarship awards valued at $50,000 each from the Jamaica Private Power Company (JPPC) through their GSAT Scholarship Awards Programme.
The programme, which had its origin back in 2014, is to again sponsor each scholarship recipient for the full five years of high school, with only one requirement that the students maintain an average of 75 per cent or higher during that time.
"To know that we are making 10 more young Jamaicans stronger when we welcome them into the JPPC family is wonderful. What we are doing here at the JPPC since 2014 is making sure that the young people in the east Kingston community schools start off with confidence," said the company's general manager, Ingrid Christian-Baker.
The JPPC has invested approximately $12 million in the programme since its inception, a statement to their dedication in helping to provide young people with quality education, she explained.
"It means that once you are able to maintain that average or higher, we will continue to assist by paying your school fees every year until you have completed fifth form," said Christian-Baker.
Scholarship recipient Najhae Blair, who will be attending Ardenne High starting in September, said that he was delighted with being named among the recipients of the JPPC Scholarship Award.
"I am really happy because it will help take the financial burden off my mother to send me to school, and because I can now focus on what I really would like to be. It is great that we are awarded for hard work at primary school," the young Blair said.
"I want to be a lawyer, so I know that I need to maintain a good average and work hard to achieve that, and I just want to say a big thank you to the JPPC family for believing in me and all of us, generally."
Baker said that the company's overall corporate responsibility programme dubbed Empowering Lives, Empowering Dreams, Empowering Community, is a strong reminder to young people of the responsibility they have as individuals. She said that the recipients can be assured of the company's assistance over the next five years.