JAMAICA: JISCO/ALPART to award $20 Million for Back-to-School

Montego Bay, July 25, 2019 – Jamaica – Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company (JISCO)/Alpart will be awarding $20 million in scholarships and school supplies under its 2019 Back-to-School Assistance Programme. The awards ceremony will be held on August 9 at the Alpart Sports Club in Nain, St. Elizabeth.

Public and Community Relations Manager at JISCO/Alpart, Julian Keane, told JIS News that approximately 2,200 students from the company’s operating communities in St. Elizabeth and Manchester are slated to benefit.  These include 450 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) students, who received placement scores of 280 and above.

“This year, we are offering four tertiary scholarships to students studying education, medicine, agriculture and information technology,” Mr. Keane added.

He told JIS News that the programme, which is in its tenth year, has benefited some 13,500 students to date.  He said the initiative continues to grow annually, with JISCO/Alpart awarding $13 million to 1,800 students last year.

“Each year, we do our evaluation (on the programme) and we continue to see how we can make it much better. We continue to do this initiative because we recognise the value of education in our operating areas.  We know that there are a number of students who are actually in need of some assistance to further their educational development from the primary, secondary, tertiary and even the basic (school) level, where we assist students with vouchers to purchase uniforms, bags books and so on,” he said.

Mr. Keane said that students and parents in the beneficiary communities look forward to the assistance every year, noting that it serves to motivate the students to do well in school.

Contact: Serena Grant

Release: JIS

Serena Grant Photo

Photo Caption: A section of the Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company (JISCO) /Alpart plant in Nain, St. Elizabeth.