The Universal Service Fund is Empowering the Next Generation of Technology Experts with their full tuition USF ICT PATH Scholarships for undergraduate degree.
The Universal Services Fund (USF), in fulling its mandate to ensure Jamaica becomes a digitally literate and knowledge based society, has unveiled a raft of scholarships in information and communication technology (ICT) tenable at the secondary and tertiary levels.
The USF ICT PATH scholarships and PEP grants are available to students who have excelled in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations and the secondary students who are enrolled in the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) who have been accepted to read for a bachelors degree in information and communications technology at an accredited university in Jamaica.
Chief Executive Officer at the USF, Daniel Dawes, says the suite of scholarships are in keeping with the Jamaican Government trust under the Vision 2030 for Jamaica to become a technology enabled society by empowering its people to become creators rather than mere consumers of ICT.
We hope that these scholarships will ignite an interest in ICT in our grade PEP recipients, and that it will propel our tertiary students to achieve great heights in ICT
CEO of The Universal Service fund, Daniel Dawes
“We are now in the midst of the fourth (4th) industrial revolution, where daily we see young persons using technology to solve everyday societal problems. Through these scholarships, we will facilitate more young, bright Jamaicans acquiring the skills needed to innovate and contribute to national development,” Dawes said.
He added that even as the world continues to grapple with the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), there are daily examples of the power of ICT in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. These solutions include application development to track the spread of the disease and programme to facilitate working from home, distance learning and communication.
“We hope that these ICT PATH and PEP scholarships will ignite an interest in ICT in our grade PEP recipients, and that it will propel our tertiary students to achieve great heights in ICT,” Dawes said.
The USF Scholarships Programme will this year be providing twenty-nine (29) scholarships:
- 24 PEP Scholarships: One of the top boy and one of the top girl from each parish in the PEP examination for a total of 24 PEP scholarships.
- 5 USF PATH Scholarships in ICT: Five (5) USF PATH Scholarships for five (5) students on the PATH programme who have matriculated to study ICT at an accredited local tertiary institution.
Applications for the USF PEP scholarships will be open on June 1st and close on June 30th. While the scholarship application for the tertiary USF PATH scholarship programme for PATH students will be open on June 1st and closes July 31st.
The USF was established in 2005 and is mandated to ensure Jamaicans from all walks of life have access to the internet in a bid to ensure the country becomes a knowledge-based society.
USF PATH ICT Tertiary Scholarships
Eligibility: Scholarships is to be awarded to exemplary secondary students enrolled in the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), who have demonstrated a commitment to community development and an interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Other Selection Criteria include: Acceptance letter to an accredited university to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Information, Communication and Technology. The applicant must maintain a minimum of a ‘B’ average for the duration of the scholarship.
Number of Scholarships: Five (5) || Application Opens: June 1 to July 31st
Scholarship Amount: FULL TUITION for duration of study || APPLICATION FORM HERE
USF PEP Scholarships
Eligibility: ICT PEP Scholarships will be awarded to the top performing boy and girl from each parish in the PEP Examination. Selection will be made from the Ministry of Education’s published PEP Examination results list.
Number of PEP scholarships: Twenty-eight (28) (2 to be awarded in each parish)
Scholarship Value” J$40,000 per awardee || Application Deadline: June 1st to 30th
Contact the USF at www.usf.gov.jm | Email: scholarships@usf.gov.jm | Telephone: 876.926.1727
