KINGSTON, Jamaica— For the academic year 2020/2021, the NCB Foundation awarded a total of $75 million in funding as part of their annual scholarship and grant programme which benefits young scholars at all levels of education in institutions islandwide.

Phase one of the programme, the Level Up Grant, saw $25 million allocated to provide financial support for persons who lost their jobs due to COVID-19.

Phase two saw $50 million in funding provided for students at the undergraduate level in accredited tertiary institutions across the island – this year’s new cohort as well as previous scholars – and book grants for primary and secondary level scholars.

The overall programme has been in motion since 2008 and is aimed at facilitating and supporting education for young people in traditional and non-traditional fields of study at institutions across the island.

“Guided by the dream of NCB Group’s Chairman, Michael Lee Chin for every Jamaican child to be able to complete tertiary education, the Foundation has made education our primary strategic focus,” noted Thalia Lyn, chairman of the foundation.

“It is our relentless dedication to the development of Jamaica’s youth that propelled us to find innovative solutions that would still deliver value, opportunity, support and hope to our scholars through the overall scholarship programme amidst the global pandemic.”

This year, with the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite delays to the start of the academic year, 28 students were awarded scholarships via their first ever virtual award ceremony that was disguised as a trivia gameshow. The 28 students each received $300,000 for the duration of their study – one from each parish studying in a traditional field and one from each parish studying in a non-traditional field.

Of the 28 scholars, four were chosen as ‘National Champions’ who received an additional $300,000 towards their studies.