JIS: The Government continues to create financing options for higher education with an additional $30-million scholarship grant provided through the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service/PetroCaribe Development Fund (PDF).
This is being administered through the Ministry of Finance’s Scholarship and Assistance Unit, and is part of ongoing efforts to provide state interventions to facilitate human-capital development in the country.
Addressing the launch of the scholarship programme yesterday (February 22), at the Ministry, in Kingston, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said the initiative reflects measures being taken by the Government to assist students to fund higher education.
“The Ministry is extremely grateful to PetroCaribe and the Ministry of Finance for facilitating this important (programme). It is consistent with our aspiration to have all our youth going on to tertiary institutions to gain at least a first degree, occupational or transfer degree by age 30. In this fourth industrial revolution, we have to have a cadre of trained professionals to get the job done,” Senator Reid said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, said the initiative is part of a multisectoral approach to facilitate more opportunities for human-capital development, which is one of the most important aspects of national development.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry and PetroCaribe was signed in 2015 to implement a tertiary scholarship programme.
Since its inception, approximately 25 awards totalling $7.9 million have been disbursed to students pursuing studies at the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), Shortwood Teachers’ College and the University of Technology (UTech).
In 2016, the PDF Board approved the additional grant for the scholarship programme. It is anticipated that the increase will make it easier for persons pursuing higher education to achieve their career goals.
From this grant, scholarships will be awarded to Jamaican citizens pursuing undergraduate studies (academic or technical), postgraduate studies, or research leading to a university degree or professional development in key growth industries – energy, entrepreneurship, logistics and Spanish.
The programme targets Jamaican citizens from lower socio-economic and vulnerable groups between the ages of 17 and 57, including youth, at-risk youth, women, persons with disabilities and persons impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Applications for the PDF scholarship programme are now open. For more information, persons can visit: http://www.mof.gov.jm/scholarships.
Also attending the launch were Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Rudyard Spencer; Chief Executive Officer of the PDF, Dr. Wesley Hughes and Deputy Financial Secretary, Strategic Human Resource Management, Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Wayne Jones.
CAPTION: Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, said the initiative is part of a multisectoral approach to facilitate more opportunities for human-capital development, which is one of the most important aspects of national development.