#Kingston, May 3, 2019 – Jamaica – The Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) has granted $4.8 million in scholarships to eight students attending the Portland-based College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE). The two-year scholarships, valued at $600,000 each ($300,000 per year) are being provided under the inaugural JBI/Alcan Rio Tinto Legacy Fund Scholarship Programme. The awards cover the cost of tuition, boarding, meals, among other things.
Beneficiaries are students residing
in JBI greenhouse cluster areas in Clarendon, Manchester, St. Ann, St. Catherine and St.
Elizabeth. Six
of the eight scholarship recipients have already been identified and began
studies in the 2018/2019 academic year. The other two students, who are yet to
be chosen, are slated to begin studies in September.
Transport and Mining Minister,
Hon. Robert Montague, in his remarks at the signing ceremony held at his St.
Andrew office on Thursday (May 2), said that the scholarship programme is an
investment in the country’s future.
“The investment is being made in
these eight young farmers and this is speaking to sustainability, not only of
the greenhouse cluster projects, but also the sustainability of the communities.
This scholarship will put you on a pathway that opens the whole world to you,”
he told the students.
Mr. Montague encouraged them to
use their education “to unlock the potential of indigenous herbs and spices and
create new markets for these crops”.
“Don’t be constrained in the
traditional way of how you think of agriculture. Think of the linkages in
agriculture; think of how you can process and extract and break new ground. As
a young farmer, it means you can break down the barriers, plough new fields and
develop new ideas,” he pointed out.
In his remarks, Acting Director
of the JBI, Dr. Hugh Lambert, encouraged the awardees to give back to their
communities.
“When you graduate, we hope that
you are going to go back and help to improve on the scientific delivery of
agricultural knowledge to our farmers,” he said.
Scholarship recipient, Shanile
Scott, who said she has always had a love for plants, told JIS News that her ambition is to go into agro-processing.
“To get this scholarship, I am
very grateful because it is a very big opportunity for me to (pursue) my
passion for agriculture,” she said.
Allister Gardener said he is
excited by the opportunities in agriculture and is interested in combining this
with his interest in pharmaceutical sciences.
“Seeing that JBI has invested in
me, I will make it a point of duty to make them proud… . Agriculture is life…
. It is very interesting and I see that I can make a very good living from
agriculture,” he noted.
The scholarship programme was created to facilitate sustainability
of the JSIF/JBI Water Harvesting and Greenhouse Cluster Project, which is
administered under the Bauxite Community Development Programme (BCDP). Beneficiaries are students pursuing the
Associate Degree in General Agriculture at CASE with special focus on
greenhouse production and management.
Under the tenets of the agreement,
the students will be required to complete 200 hours of work study at greenhouse
sites in their respective parishes during each year of study. They will also
have the opportunity to operate their own greenhouses following graduation.
Funding for the scholarship awards is being provided by the
Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ).
Contact: Rochelle Williams
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
Header: Transport and Mining Minister, Hon. Robert Montague (left), speaking with award recipients under the inaugural Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI)/Alcan Rio Tinto Legacy Fund Scholarship Programme at the signing ceremony at the Ministry’s office in St. Andrew on Thursday (May 2). The students, who attend the Portland-based College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), are (from left) Brittany Wisdom; Shevene Gibson; Allister Gardener; Shanile Scott; Rodane Nuwell and Lataneil Hamilton.
Insert: Transport and Mining Minister, Hon. Robert Montague (right), signs documents for the inaugural Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI)/ Alcan Rio Tinto Legacy Fund Scholarship Programme at his office in St. Andrew on Thursday (May 2). Also signing are first-year General Agriculture student at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), Shanile Scott (second right); and Acting Director, Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI), Dr. Hugh Lambert. Observing is Administrator of the Bauxite Community Development Programme (BCDP), Dr. Dianne Gordon.
Y. Hutchinson Photos