KINGSTON, Jamaica — Postgraduate student at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) Arlando Dunkley has been awarded the 2019 Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) Renewable Energy Scholarship.

Dunkley, who hails from Spanish Town, is a past student of St Jago High School where he sat the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and earned nine subjects with a distinction in Mathematics, PCJ said in a release today.

He then matriculated into UTech, where he successfully read for a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering and graduated with honours. During his undergraduate programme, Dunkley was a member of the University Public Speaking and Debating Society as well as the Association of Chemical Engineers. He is also the winner of the Best Chemical Engineering Major Project in 2016, PCJ said.

Dunkley is now pursuing a Master of Science Degree in Renewable Energy Engineering. As the 2019 awardee of the scholarship Dunkley will be the recipient of a J$2 million grant, payable over two years to cover the full cost of tuition for the duration of his degree programme. 

 “In just the same way that energy is a driver of growth and development, education is also a crucial pillar in the development process…This is why, in 2017 the PCJ sought to widen its impact on education by expanding its focus to include advanced level research and development activities,” Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Fayval Williams said in her keynote address at the luncheon held yesterday (March 27) at the PCJ Auditorium to introduce the new scholar.

Williams encouraged Dunkley to use the knowledge gained upon completion of his studies, “not only for personal pursuits, but also to contribute to nation building.”