MORE than 1,000 students from vulnerable communities across the country are today expressing gratitude for much-needed financial aid and back-to-school support from natural gas provider New Fortress Energy (NFE), through its foundation, in preparation for the upcoming school year in September.

The students, who reside in the parishes of Clarendon, St Catherine and St James, where New Fortress Energy operates its liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, were selected by their schools to receive help based on performance, potential, and their determination to succeed despite their socio-economic realities.

Each student received a package consisting of $10,000 vouchers for books and uniforms, as well as backpacks with notebooks and other school paraphernalia. In addition, more than 300 students received tablets, while 60 high school students received bursaries of $50,000 each to cover the cost of tuition and external examinations.

Dr Kasan Troupe, acting chief education officer in the Ministry of Education, speaking at the handover in Montego Bay, held in partnership with the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, encouraged the students to keep using the acronym WIN (work hard, invest in your education, and never give us).

“It has been a challenging year with hundreds of students missing classes online since the start of the pandemic. And so, we commend New Fortress Energy for this amazing support. It is a demonstration of their commitment to Jamaica and the development of our human capital and the plan to transform this county,” said Dr Troupe.

In his remarks at the handover in Clarendon, Pearnel Charles Jr, Member of Parliament for Clarendon South Eastern and Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment, and Climate Change, said: “On behalf of the parents and the students of the Port and Refinery Council community, I want to say a very big thanks to NFE for making youth education a priority. The children need the help, the parents need the help, and the education system needs the help. Far too many of our children are being left behind in these challenging times, so giving these students the jump-start to a brighter future is priceless.”

Parent Collette Pinnock, whose daughter attends Green Pond Primary and Infant School in St James, said, “I felt compelled to reach out to NFE and extend my thanks and appreciation for the recent back-to-school grant awarded to my child in the amount of $10,000. I’m so happy and grateful for the kind gesture that is being extended by your company to the many students, like my daughter, who needed the kick-start. Thank you so much.”

Verona Carter, vice-president at New Fortress Energy, said: “A key focus for us has always been youth development through education, because we believe that education is a sure path to sustainable social and economic growth. We also believe that hard work should be rewarded, and these children have persevered through a very challenging year to maintain excellent grades. We’re happy to be able to give them the jump-start to get back on track with their learning. We’re committed to helping these children push past their challenges to secure a better future for themselves and their families and education is critical in achieving this.”