Seven scholarships for seven bright sparks

Seven of Jamaica's most outstanding achievers have been awarded scholarships under the annual Jamaica/GraceKennedy Scholarship Award.

The students were awarded the scholarships based on their performance in the sitting of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) in June 2014. The seven students, who attended high schools in Kingston, St Andrew, and Clarendon, are selected from among 168 students. The high achievers are:

n Romario White - Jamaica Male, Campion College;

n Kaesha Thomas - Jamaica Female, Campion College;

n Clenmar Rowe - Jamaica Independence Open, Glenmuir High School;

n Scizar Samuels - Jamaica Independence (Male), Wolmer's Boys' School;

n Rochelle Knight - Jamaica Independence (Female), Campion College;

n John Matthews - Jamaica Adult Suffrage, Campion College;

n Ojae Henry - Jamaica Centerary (Male), Glenmuir High School.

The scholarship recipients, except for two, are all currently studying at the University of the West Indies, and all except one are pursuing medicine.

criteria for award

Each year, prior to the CAPE examinations, the Tertiary Unit of the Ministry of Education invites applications from high school and community college students for the various scholarships. Once applications are received, the prospectives are sent to the University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate, England, and the Caribbean Examinations Council, Barbados. The final choice for the scholarships is made based on the calculation of standard scores in both examinations from the syndicate and the council.

The scholarships cover tuition fees, a maintenance allowance of $60,000, and a book allowance of $15,000. All awardees are bonded to work with the Jamaican Government or any local organisation approved by the Ministry of Education for a period stipulated by the Cabinet Office.