SEVENTEEN STUDENTS who recently passed the GSAT examinations are to have their tuition fees and the cost of their books for one year covered by H.D. Hopwood and Company Limited, totalling $250,000. The bursaries will go to 10 students from the St. Patrick's and Balmagie Primary Schools in the nearby Waterhouse community, as well as seven children of employees of the company.
This announcement was made recently by Alfred Thomas, Director of the Consumer Division of H.D. Hopwood and Company, at an inaugural presentation ceremony of the H. D. Hopwood and Company GSAT Bursary Awards, held at the company's head offices, at 3 Carifta Avenue, Kingston.
According to Mr. Thomas, over the years his company has been actively involved in the education of children from the community by funding needed supplies in collaboration with corporate neighbour Edgechem. But, he said H.D. Hopwood and Company felt the time had come to forge a permanent alliance with the community and to launch its annual Bursary Awards to benefit successful GSAT students primarily from the Waterhouse community, as well as children of employees.
"Although H.D. Hopwood and Company is over 70 years old, we have been operating from our present location for more than 40 years. So we know the needs of our immediate community.
"Today we laud these students who have been successful in the recent GSAT exams and are moving on to high school. We know they will achieve, because they are the young bright minds who will become our future leaders," Mr. Thomas continued.
Also speaking at the function was Member of Parliament for West St. Andrew, O.T. Williams. According to him, "there is a lot of work to be done with our children. In fact, parents are expected to ensure that their children's first exposure to education and civility begins at home."
He noted that the 0-6 age group was the most formative years of a child's life, because it was during that period that a child formed his or her perspective on and images of life.
"So if parents do their job well, the children will be better integrated into school system, making it a lot easier for teachers to concentrate on the subject areas, instead of having to deal with behavioural problems," O.T. Williams continued.
Guest speaker at the bursary awards ceremony was Merlin Barriffe, Senior Education Officer with responsibility for the Student Assessment Unit of the Ministry of Education. In praising H.D. Hopwood for launching the Annual Bursary Awards she said such acts of benevolence from Corporate Jamaica could help to inculcate values, which she said were now "taking the stairs instead of the elevators."
Mrs. Barriffe went on to explain that the recipients of the H.D. Hopwood and Company bursaries could now be on a journey towards understanding values if they started by showing appreciation for the financial assistance. That, in turn, could lead them to exercise tenacity, where hard work pays off and leads to success.
"By receiving kindness from H.D. Hopwood, it is hoped that these students will also learn to be kind to others and see the need to help their fellowmen," she continued.
Among the special guests at the function were Evon Lennon, Principal of the Balmagie Primary School and Ivy Shaw, Principal of St. Patrick's Primary School.
