In celebration of its 15th anniversary, 17 beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) were awarded scholarships valued at $15 million to pursue studies at the tertiary level.

Speaking at an awards ceremony, Shahine Robinson, minister of labour and social security, said: "It is important that we invest in our young people, as it is incumbent on us to lay the foundation for a better society, and what better way to do so than through the advancement of our young people."

Recipients of the 2017 PATH Tertiary Scholarship are: Jinelle Henry, Sashana Salmon, Kiana Brown, Quashane Jackson, Chevelle Case; Zackarie Campbell, Crystal - Lee Brown, Gillian Thompson, Chedukia Langley, Monifa Marshall, Raju Gunnings, Anicia McFarlane, Chanae-Kay Coburn, Winston Jarrett, Stanecia Wynter, Makeda Bailey and Crystal Thompson.

The scholars are enrolled in the following programmes: Medicine and Surgery, Civil Engineering, Pure and Applied Chemistry, Electrical Power Engineering, Accounting, Actuarial Science, Plant Biology, Science, Psychology, and Law.

The scholarships were made available to PATH beneficiaries who had been recipients of PATH benefits for at least the last three years of their secondary education.

Applicants needed to have attained Grade 1 passes in at least eight (8) Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC)/Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects, including mathematics and English, and had either received a letter of acceptance to commence their courses of study in September 2017 or were already pursuing their studies and had attained a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 during the last academic year.

Of the 70 scholarship applicants, 19 were shortlisted and interviewed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security's Scholarship Committee, which selected the 17 recipients.

"As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of PATH, we do so with much pride, recognising that education and training is the bedrock of any society and that this programme, in a profound way, has created opportunities for beneficiaries to access tertiary education, which will ultimately result in progress for families and the society," Robinson said.

The awards ceremony was held on Friday, October 27 at the UWI Mona Visitors' Lodge.