WESTMORELAND, Jamaica – Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunication and Transport Daryl Vaz has announced that an education scholarship is to be established in honour of the late Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Universal Service Fund (USF) Daniel Henry Dawes.

Vaz made the announcement during a thanksgiving service held for Dawes at the Holiness Born Again Church of Jesus Christ Apostolic in Savanna-la-Mar on Saturday.

Noting that Dawes had a passion for education and helping the less fortunate and children, Vaz said his work cannot be allowed to stop with his passing.

“I am hoping that we will find a way without getting into trouble to find some funds to seed it and I know that the private sector will come on board because of the relationship that he had especially in the telecommunications sector, but I want to pledge personally $250,000 to launch that fund today and I know that I can’t get in trouble because it’s my money,” Vaz said.

“There’s no procurement and I am sure that in the coming days and weeks after everything has settled and everybody has gone back to their normal life that we will be able to share better particulars in something that we want to sustain. Not for a year. Not for two years. Not for five years but ongoing in memory of Daniel Dawes,” he added.

Vaz said he has had discussions with his Permanent Secretary, Carol Palmer and the chairman of the Universal Service Fund who is also the president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, Metry Seaga to work out the details of the scholarship fund.

The terms of reference, Vaz said, will be worked out between himself, the ministry, the USF and Dawes’ family in terms of what Dawes would want and how to go about implementing it.

Tourism Minister and MP for St James East Central, Edmund Bartlett has also made a seeding pledge.

“…His abiding legacy is his unquenching thirst for people’s development and people’s upliftment. And so, Minister Vaz made the point about a scholarship in his honour. He has a disciple in that because Daniel and I work hard on my scholarship program in East Central St James that we’ve had now for 27 years,” stated Bartlett.

“Every year… We just had some graduation a couple days ago. And so, we in East Central, from our fund, will put $500,000 towards that scholarship,” added Bartlett.

Meanwhile, Vaz said it is not clear as yet how Dawes’ shoes will be filled.

“So, my brother, I don’t know who I’m going to replace you with because I don’t think it’s possible to find another Daniel Dawes but your work will live on and the people of Jamaica will continue to benefit from all that you have done in your life’s journey walk good until we meet again,” the minister stated.

The 61-year-old was also a public health inspector, former teacher at Godfrey Stewart High School, former university lecturer and former general manager of the Transport Authority.

Daniel, who graduated with his Doctor of Educational Leadership degree from the Delaware State University in the United States in May, was found unresponsive at his home in St Andrew on May 24.

Daniel leaves behind two sons and two daughters, and wife Arlene among other friends and relatives.
Other dignitaries in attendance were Sports and Gender Minister, Oliver Bobsy Grange; State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), with special responsibility for OPM West, Homer Davis; Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining and chairman of JLP Area Council Four, Floyd Green; JLP Chairman, Robert Montague; Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Danree Delancy; Mayor of Kingston, Andrew Swaby; MP’s for Westmoreland Central and Eastern, George Wright and Daniel Lawrence respectively and Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Dr Carey Wallace.
– Anthony Lewis.