The Jamaica Labour Party Education Fund Scholarships Summary:
Jamaica Labour Party Deadline: AUGUST 19, 2021
Value: J$500,000 to J$700,000.00 per year for maximum 3 years
Number of Awards: 11 merit-based, national, and tertiary level scholarships to individuals with a strong record of academic achievement
Eligibility: Jamaican Citizens enrolled or accepted to study in specified faculties at an undergraduate level to the below listed local colleges and universities, plus additional information below.
Applicable Programmes: The Hon. Shahine Robinson Scholarship for Journalism/Communications. The Hon. Ken Baugh Scholarship for Epidemiology/Public Health. The Hon. Neville Gallimore Scholarship Mathematics/Economics. The Hon. Dwight Nelson Scholarship for Teacher Education (Teachers’ Colleges only )
Qualified Schools: The JLP Education Fund is geared towards studies at the UTECH, UWI, NCU, CMU, Mico University, Bethlehem Moravian College, Catholic College of Mandeville, Church Teachers’ College, Moneague College, Montego Bay Community College, Saint Joseph’s Teachers’ College, Sam Sharpe Teachers College, Shortwood Teacher College, and the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE).
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Eligibility for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Scholarships
The National JLP Scholarships are open to Jamaican nationals who would have attained the age of 17 years or older, but would not have attained the age of 25, as at September 1, 2021.
Applicants must either have gained acceptance to UWI, UTECH, NCU, CMU, Mico or teachers’ colleges(as listed) at the time of application, to study for an undergraduate degree in: Journalism/Communications, Epidemiology/Public Health, Mathematics/Economics, or Teacher Education (limited to the study of teacher education at the listed teachers’ colleges)
Applicants who are already on an undergraduate scholarship will not be eligible for award of these scholarships.
The JLP Scholarships Application Process
The Application Period for the National Scholarships will be from July 19, 2021 to August 19, 2021.
The application process and all enquiries will be entirely online. Interested candidates for the National Scholarships are invited to submit their applications via the Jamaica Labour Party Scholarship Website: scholarships.jamaicalabourparty.com
Email queries may be submitted to: scholarships@jamaicalabourparty.com
To be considered for one of the National Scholarships, the application must include the following:
- Cover letter, addressed to the Jamaica Labour Party Scholarship Selection Committee, briefly introducing yourself and setting out your proposed course of study, its duration, as well as your proposed university.
- CV or Resume (including contact details);
- Academic transcript from high school
- Personal Essay/Statement of Purpose (no more than 800 words);
- Evidence of university acceptance or enrollment, as applicable
- Three (3) references, one of the referees must have taught the applicant.
- Copy of the applicant’s birth certificate;
- Two (2) passport sized photographs.
Read about the Jamaica Labour Party Education Fund Scholarships selection process
The JLP Scholarships Background
The Jamaica Labour Party believes in education as the most powerful tool for personal and national transformation. Education has always been a priority for all our leaders. In our first manifesto published in 1943, Sir Alexander Bustamante advocated “free scholarship to secondary school” and “no class distinction in awarding scholarship”.
Jamaica’s first Minister of Education, Jehoida Augustus McPherson, was appointed by Sir Alexander Bustamante in Jamaica’s first government under Adult Suffrage between 1945-1949. He developed a National Plan for the reform of Jamaica’s education system.
Edwin Leopold Allen, became the first Minister of Education of Independent Jamaica. In 1962, he tackled the problem of disproportionate allocation of educational opportunities which militated against children from poorer homes.
Allen introduced the 70:30 policy which reserved 70 per cent of the free places to secondary schools for students from primary schools who were successful in passing the minimum standard in the Common Entrance Examination.
This had a profound effect on increasing access to education through he JLP Education Fund. Edwin Allen, also created the “The New Deal in Education” in 1965, which laid the foundation for further improvement in the quality of curriculum, instruction, and infrastructure and access to the “best education that the country could afford, ensuring equity of opportunity for all”.
The Jamaica Labour Party administration of 1962-1972, launched a real transformation in education in Jamaica, building 60 new secondary schools and shifting access to education from being treated as an elite pursuit to being considered as a fundamental right that was necessary to change the prospects of many poor Jamaican families and lift them out of poverty.
Current Prime Minister of Jamaica, and Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, Andrew Michael Holness, also served as Minister of Education with great passion and effectiveness.
He improved literacy rates at the primary level, increased access at the secondary level to near universal enrollment through the successful implementation of the tuition free policy. He established several institutions to improve accountability and quality in education, including the National College for Education Leadership and the National Education Inspectorate.
On Founder’s Day, Party Leader Andrew Holness announced the establishment of the Jamaica Labour Party – JLP Education Fund and the Party’s National Scholarship Committee to administer the award of the scholarships and bursaries.
In support of the national effort, the current scholarships emphasize STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas. In future iterations of the scholarship offer, the Scholarship Committee may choose to emphasize other areas of study important to national development.
The scholarships will be awarded to individuals with a strong record of academic achievement, who demonstrate a concern for others, a commitment to community and country, strong leadership potential and exemplary character.
The Jamaica Labour Party looks forward to receiving your application as we continue to build Jamaica through education.
The National Jamaica Labour Party Scholarships
At the Party’s 75th anniversary conference in 2018, Party Leader, and Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, MP, announced plans to establish the Jamaica Labour Party Scholarship Committee and endow the Party’s Education Fund.
The JLP Scholarship Committee and Education Fund were launched and operational in time for our 76th anniversary celebration with the offer of five national scholarships in the name of past our Prime Ministers who have formed governments from the Jamaica Labour Party benches in Parliament.
These scholarships were awarded in August 2019 and supported the national effort emphasizing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas. Party Leader Andrew Holness also gave 136 bursaries valued at J$200,000.00 to workers of the Party or their children and members of G2K and Young Jamaica or their children.
In honour of our great legacy in education through every Jamaica Labour Party Administration since Adult Suffrage, and in marking our 77 anniversary, we are pleased to offer 4 merit-based, national, and tertiary level scholarships to individuals with a strong record of academic achievement, who demonstrate a concern for others, a commitment to community and country, strong leadership potential and exemplary character.
The National Scholarships for 2020 will be named in honour of past Ministers who were part of by the Jamaica Labour Party administrations. They are as follows:
- The Hon. Shahine Robinson Scholarship for Journalism/Communications
- The Hon. Ken Baugh Scholarship for Epidemiology/Public Health
- The Hon. Neville Gallimore Scholarship Mathematics/Economics
- The Hon. Dwight Nelson Scholarship for Teacher Education (Teachers’ Colleges only )
The scholarships will each be valued at between J$500,000 to J$700,000.00 per year, depending on the course of study, for a maximum of three years and will be tenable at the University of the West Indies (“UWI”), the University of Technology (“UTECH”) or the Northern Caribbean University (“NCU”), the Mico University, the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) or any of the listed accredited teachers colleges listed below.
Applications for the JLP scholarship in teacher education are restricted to persons who will be pursuing a course of study at any of the following accredited Teachers College:
- Bethlehem Moravian College
- Catholic College of Mandeville
- Church Teachers’ College
- Mico Teachers’ College
- Moneague College
- Montego Bay Community College
- Saint Joseph’s Teachers’ College
- Sam Sharpe Teachers College
- Shortwood Teacher College
- College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE)
