OCHO RIOS, St Ann — First Regional Co-operative Credit Union has allocated $3 million to its annual scholarship programme which provides scholarships, book grants, tertiary bursaries and continued financing to annual Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) awardees.

President of the board of the co-operative, Donald Mason, made the announcement last week at the scholarship award ceremony held at the Hibiscus Lodge Hotel in Ocho Rios.

“For the past 16 years, First Regional has been making a difference by making access to education easier for hundreds of GSAT and tertiary students through the financial assistance provided by our annual scholarship awards,” Mason told beneficiaries attending the ceremony. He said this year was no different with $3 million being pumped into the programme by the credit union. Recipients were selected following interviews with the board.

Five scholarships were awarded to students who were successful in the 2015 GSAT and were awarded places in high schools. The recipients all attained an average of 95 percent and above in their examinations.

The Leyland Walker Scholarship and the Reynold Smith Scholarship were awarded to St Ann students Durrannee Clarke and Daniella Dumphrey, respectively. Clarke will be attending Campion College while Dumphey will be attending St Hilda’s High School.

Markeish Francis and Daniel Edwards, both from St Mary, were the recipients of the Herbert Ming and First Regional Scholarships, respectively. Francis will be going to Westwood High School while Edwards will be attending St Mary High School.

Meanwhile, Kindae Ebanks, who will be attending Munroe College, was the recipient of the First Regional Hospitality Scholarship. Like other GSAT awardees before them, the scholarship awardees will benefit from the scholarship throughout their tenure in high school.

The Jamaica Cooperative Credit Union League also awarded a bursary at the function. Receiving that ward was Khadeja Kenyon. Three tertiary bursaries valued at

$200,000 each were also awarded by the institution. The recipients were Lascelles Hamilton, Jana Hinds and Anthony Brown. Several students also received book grants.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Howard Isaacs, principal of the Moneague College and president-elect of the Jamaica Teachers Association, congratulated First Regional for its contribution to education.

Isaacs, at the same time, encouraged students to make use of the opportunity given to them. “You have an opportunity to do well,” he told them, adding that First Regional was investing in their future and so they should do well.

He also called on parents to play an integral part in the lives of their children.

“You as parents must cover your children; you have to pray into their success,” he said, as he encouraged parents to have a close relationship with their children and to care for them.

“Care does not mean that you give them everything; care means that you keep them on the right path,” he continued.

Anthony Brown, who spoke on behalf of the recipients, said the financial assistance was well appreciated by the students.

“Being a student is very challenging, especially in the financial area,” the agriculture major said. Brown said it was also a challenging journey for persons from rural Jamaica who have to travel to other parishes to pursue their studies, but thanked First Regional and assured them that all the students will do well.

Also expressing his appreciation for the scholarship was Lascelles Hamilton, who spoke to the Jamaica Observer after receiving a bursary.

“I’m excited. I was contemplating options to finance my third year [and] I was running out of options. I didn’t want to borrow any more money to put myself in any more debt [so] I’m happy for it. It covers almost three-quarters of my school fee,” said Hamilton, who is currently majoring in community development at the International University of the Caribbean