THIRTY-SIX high school students have received scholarships valued at $1.35 million from non-profit organisation Future Leaders of Jamaica (FLJ), for the 2018/19 academic year.

The recipients include 31 students, from first to fifth form, who received $35,000 each; and six students in sixth form who got grants of $45,000 each. The funds, which cover tuition, books and other expenses, have already been sent to the respective schools.

FLJ recognised the students at a ceremony held last Friday at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, where laptop computers were handed over to six fourth-form students to assist in their School-Based Assessment (SBA) preparations.

State Minister for education, youth and information Floyd Green, in a message read by advisor Howard Chamberlain, lauded FLJ for helping promising students who face financial challenges to reach their full potential.

“We want to commend the FLJ for striving to create a level playing field by removing the financial burdens faced by low-income families. By taking some of the financial pressure off of students and families, we can enable greater success in helping deserving students who want to give back to society,” he said.

“Scholarships not only provide financial support for our students’ education but they are also an investment in their futures,” he added.

Executive director of FLJ, Dwight Green said the programme provides much-needed assistance to students with serious challenges.

“We provide whatever assistance our students need. We see this as a true investment, and whatever it takes to get that return in the long run, we will provide that investment… We do whatever it takes to help these students to succeed,” he added.

The FLJ scholarship programme is designed to provide financial relief to primary/high school students from lower-economic backgrounds who have displayed strong academic potential.

Each year, the programme awards scholarships to six students with the highest scores in the Grade Six Achievement Test from three participating institutions — Half-Way Tree and Ensom City Primary, and Windward Road Primary, and Junior High. This year, eight students from the three schools received awards.

The scholarships are renewable annually for up to a maximum of seven years (first to sixth form).

Candidates are endorsed by their guidance counsellors and principals as possessing a high measure of character, strong leadership potential, and demonstrating financial need.