JN scholars urged to be agents of change
Forty-one (41) outstanding students in this year’s Grade Six Achievement Test were awarded five-year bursaries at the JN Foundation awards. This year represented the highest number since the inception of the JN Scholarship Programme in 1983.
Dahlia Harris, communication specialist and television presenter, urged recipients of the JN Foundation awards to be agents of change.
“We urge you to be the change, because we know that students in this group can be the change,” she told them. “You are the young ladies and gentlemen who can go out there and make a difference in this country and the world. Believe that you are the change, believe in the greatness in you and that can come from you.”
Harris was the guest speaker at the awards reception, which was held at JN Bank, on Constant Spring Road in Kingston, on Sunday, September 10.
The Jamaican playwright noted that being an agent of change can sometimes be challenging and urged the scholars to see this as charting a course to benefit others.
“Sometimes being the change and making the change isn’t even about ‘what can I achieve’. It is about making a platform for other people to get there. It is making a platform for Jamaica to get there. It is being the foundation on which something can be built; and that is what I want you to think about,” she said.
Dr Renee Rattray, senior manager, learning and development, Jamaica National Group, said that Jamaica National was a firm believer in developing Jamaicans through education, and awarding bursaries was one way to invest in the growth and development of young people.
“Education is serious business in The Jamaica National Group we believe in its ability to develop our people and to develop our economy, especially in rural parishes,” she stated.
The JN parish and school saver’s scholars are selected by the Ministry of Education annually, and JN employees are encouraged to apply on behalf of their children once they attain a minimum average of 85 per cent.
Source: Jamaica Observer
