Carreras, the largest distributor of cigarettes in Jamaica, has struggled with towing the blurred lines of corporate social responsibility and efforts that can be perceived to be the marketing of its cigarette products to minors. Having long supported other forms of community development activities, the company has withdrawn sponsorship from all but educational ventures.

Christopher Brown, head of corporate and regulatory affairs at Carreras told Caribbean Business Report that for this purpose, the company has continued its support of education as the sponsorship of sporting and other activities ceased and in the face of updated anti-smoking legislation which would limit its participation of sporting activities.

“We have voluntarily withdrawn from supporting all forms of sporting endeavours and activities,” Brown told CBR recently. “You recall that previously we were a major sponsor in the Craven A Premier League, the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup, tennis, golf, the Carreras Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year award.”

Instead, 40 students have benefited from the diversion of funds to education through Carreras’ scholarships and bursaries tenable at community colleges, teachers’ colleges, universities and the Edna Manley College of the visual and performing arts. On Monday, Carreras awarded $3.5 million in scholarships to the students at an awards banquet held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, a decided shift from the sports focused sponsorship of former times.

At the banquet, Michael Bernard, managing director of Carreras commended the recipients and likened their achievements to that of the company. We are a winning organisation and winning organisations provide support for people like you,” Bernard said.

Lisa Hanna, member of parliament for South Eastern St Ann and opposition spokesperson on education reminded the gathering that while Jamaica continues to outperform the Caribbean and the world in some sporting endeavours, performance in literacy and education continues to lag behind regional and worldwide counterparts, including Barbados and Trinidad. She exhorted the recipients to perform exceptionally and commended Carreras on its efforts at supporting education.

“I want to recognise Carreras. Not only have they recognised education as one of the pillars of economic growth, they have gone a step further by investing in education,” she said.

In his address, Andrew Holness, minister of education, said the future of funding education in Jamaica will rest on more collaboration between the private and public sectors. “The future of funding tertiary education will rely very heavily on the partnership between government and the private sector,” he said. Holness said the demand on the funds of the Student’s Loan Bureau has outstripped the capacity of the fund to supply said loans. In the past three years 3000 additional students have earned certification that would qualify them for matriculation in tertiary institutions, without the monetary support to make it happen. The demand for loans has grown from 5000 applications in 2009, to 8000 applications this year, Holness told the gathering. “The government will have to find a new approach to funding tertiary education,” he said. “We have to expand the capital base of the Students Loan Bureau. We have to make loans more accessible and less burdensome,” Holness said. He said companies can assist by offering scholarships.

Brown said as a result of the volume of qualified, eligible graduates, the selection process for the awards was ‘painful’.

“The experience throughout the interview, its a very painful one when one recognises the need that is there. Bright, intelligent, ambitious young Jamaicans who have satisfied all the academic and required matriculation standards to enter universities, community colleges and teachers colleges and some who are actually there who do not have the financial wherewithal to find their way,” Brown said. “We recognise the state though because the need is great but the resources are not sufficient and so at times the choices become very difficult.”

He said Carreras had planned to award 38 scholarships but because of the need and the academic performances were so great two more were added.