THE National Commercial Bank Foundation on Wednesday presented the Ministry of Education with over $11 million in sponsorship fees for students sitting Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) principles of accounts (POA) and principles of business (POB) in May/June this year.

The sponsorship programme supplements the ministry’s initiative to assist students at the secondary level meet the minimum qualifications required for entry to a tertiary institution by adding two subjects to the four already covered by government – English language, maths, information technology and a science subject.

The public-private sector partnership has gone a far way in enabling students to “maximise their capabilities…for national development” deputy chief education officer Lena Buckle Scott said at the presentation on the grounds of Convent of Mercy Academy, (Alpha).

The South Camp Road school has the largest number of student entrants for the exams this year.

Principal of the institution, Kali McMorris, said the bursary would enable students across the island to sit extra subjects at no cost to them.

“[Passes in these subjects] will allow a student to matriculate to any tertiary institution. It (will) afford them the skills that they need. Principles of accounts and principles of business are lifelong skills,” she said.

On the subject of exam passes, Buckle Scott urged the Alpha girls to complete the School Based Assessment component of their exams and submit them on time.

“It is time now to be polishing up on your SBAs. Without a passing grade in your SBAs it is impossible to pass the subject overall. Ensure you have a passing grade in your School Based Assessment component,” the former POB examiner said.

Also speaking Wednesday were Deputy Director of the Overseas Examination Commission (OEC), Sharon Burnett,and Chairman NCBF, Thalia Lyn

For her part, Burnett commended the NCB Foundation for its acts of corporate social responsibility executed through contributing to the development of education in the nation and expressed hope that other corporate entities would follow in the bank’s footsteps.

Lyn, meanwhile, reiterated the foundation’s commitment to nation building by focusing on education, youth leadership, entrepreneurship and community development and sports.

“We’ve spent over $1 billion impacting over 160,000 Jamaicans. At NCB Foundation, we are passionate about education, which is the catalyst for social change,” she said.

The NCB Foundation fee sponsorship programme began in September 2003 and has paid out over $118 million for 92,313 students.