In celebration of its 15th anniversary, 17 beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) were awarded scholarships valuing $15 million to pursue studies at the tertiary level.

The recipients are Jinelle Henry, Sashana Salmon, Kiana Brown, Quashane Jackson, Chevelle Case, Zackarie Campbell, Crystal-Lee Brown, Gillian Thompson, Chedukia Langley, Monifa Marshall, Raju Gunnings, Anicia McFarlane, Chanae-Kay Coburn, Winston Jarrett, Stanecia Wynter, Makeda Bailey, and Crystal Thompson.

They are enrolled in the following programmes: medicine and surgery, civil engineering, pure and applied chemistry, electrical power engineering, accounting, actuarial science, plant biology, science, psychology, and law.

A news release from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security said that the scholarships were made available to individuals who had been recipients of PATH benefits for at least the last three years of their secondary education.

“Applicants needed to have attained grade 1 passes in at least eight CXC/CSEC subjects, including mathematics and English, and had either received a letter of acceptance to commence their courses of study in September 2017, or were already pursuing their studies, and had attained a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 during the last academic year,” the ministry stated.

There were a total of 70 applicants for the scholarship, 19 were shortlisted and interviewed by the Ministry’s Scholarship Committee, which selected the 17 recipients.

“It is important that we invest in our young people, as it is incumbent on us to lay the foundation for a better society, and what better way to do so than through the advancement of our young people,” the release quoted Labour and Social Security Minister Shahine Robinson

“As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of PATH, we do so with much pride, recognising that education and training is the bedrock of any society and that this programme, in a profound way, has created opportunities for beneficiaries to access tertiary education, which will ultimately result in progress for families and the society,” Robinson added.

The awards ceremony was held on Friday, October 27 at The University of the West Indies’ Mona Visitors’ Lodge and Conference Centre.

According to the ministry, “PATH is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and has earned international recognition as being one of the best conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes in the world”.