Forty-four students were awarded scholarships and bursaries toward their 2023/2024 academic studies on Friday from the Barita Foundation scholarship programme.

The Paul Simpson-led Cornerstone/Barita team gathered with students and their families to celebrate and recognise the 2023/24 cohort of Barita Foundation Scholars at the Caribbean Military Academy, Jamaica Defence Force Up Park Camp.

This year’s awardees received scholarships from high school up to the tertiary level, and hail from various communities all across the island.

From the batch of 44 students recognised on Friday, 34 received full scholarships while another 10 received special bursaries towards their tuition and examination expenses.

The scholarships awarded were:

1. The premier Rita Humphries Lewin Scholarship in Early Childhood Education – established in honour of well-respected Barita Investments founder Rita Humphries Lewin and valued at up to $400,000.

2. The Cornerstone/Barita Tertiary Scholarship – valued at up to $350,000.

3. The Cornerstone/Barita CAPE Scholarship – valued at up to $100,000.

4. Cornerstone/Barita PEP Scholarship – valued at up to $100,000.

Barita revealed that through the Foundation’s Annual Scholarship Programme, an investment to date of approximately $7 million has been made in students fulfilling their academic goals.

According to Barita, this forms a huge part of the Foundation’s efforts in the area of education and youth development. In addition to financial literacy sessions, the Foundation stated that its team has been working with traditional and alternative education institutions to build capacity through sponsorships and donations.

In his opening remarks, Foundation chairman and Cornerstone chief operating officer (COO), Gavin Jordan shared some of the recent work being done by the team. He stated that over $10 million have been donated to charitable causes over the last year, as well as activities aimed at improving access to comfortable shelter such as through the Food for the Poor’s ‘Not just a Home, A Shelter with Purpose’ programme. Some activities, he shared, are also geared at addressing food security, especially among students.

Jordan says notably, a further commitment has been made to contribute $500,000 under the GK Campus Connect Food Bank towards a wider drive aimed at addressing food insecurity on tertiary campuses.

The chairman also signalled Cornerstone’s move to include environmental, social and governance considerations as a focused part of their strategic outlook.

The scholarship event came to a close with awardees enjoying photo-ops with the Cornerstone/Barita team including Cornerstone CEO and President Paul Simpson. Simpson personally congratulated each awardee and encouraged them to stay focused and not be distracted from their goals.

Sharing in the programme were minister of Education & Youth Fayval Williams along with the Ministry’s deputy chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Clover Hamilton-Flowers, while Dr Dana Morris-Dixon, inister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister represented Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Also in attendance were the Shadow Education Minister, Opposition Senator Damion Crawford and guest speaker, Youth Advocate, Chad Rattray.