MONTEGO BAY, St James — Marking the 30th anniversary of his East Central St James education programme, Member of Parliament Edmund Bartlett has unveiled a $30-million initiative aimed at expanding educational opportunities and infrastructure across the constituency. It will include the construction of an early childhood institution in Barrett Town and the award of 30 tertiary scholarships.

Bartlett made the announcement last Friday during the annual East Central St James Scholarship and Welfare Fund awards ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. During the event, 86 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) students received scholarships and grants.

The $30-million investment, to be rolled out over the next two years, forms part of the programme’s 30th anniversary celebrations and is separate from the constituency’s long-standing scholarship scheme for PEP and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate students, which costs approximately $15 million annually.

“That is a separate programme that we are working on,” Bartlett, who is also minister of tourism, told the
Jamaica Observer.

“It is to build out the early childhood education infrastructure involving the construction of an Early Childhood Innovation Incubator in Barrett Town. Additionally, we will provide 30 tertiary scholarships, focusing primarily on students who have passed through the secondary education component of the East Central St James education programme,” he added.

The proposed early childhood institution, along with a planned science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) school, is expected to significantly strengthen educational opportunities within Barrett Town.

Looking ahead, the veteran parliamentarian said he is putting systems in place to ensure the programme continues long after his tenure as Member of Parliament.

“I won’t be here for another 30 years, but I’m putting in place, this year, the framework to enable the programme to continue whether I am the Member of Parliament or not,” Bartlett explained.

St James East Central Member of Parliament Edmund Bartlett (right) with medical student Roshann Watson during the annual St James East Central Scholarship and Welfare Fund awards ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, last Friday.

His plan to establish the constituency’s first STEAM school in Barrett Town will complement educational facilities in the area, including John Rollins Success Primary School.

Bartlett disclosed that discussions are already under way with the Ministry of Education, private sector stakeholders, and the Urban Development Corporation to transform the area in anticipation of significant tourism-related expansion.

Reflecting on nearly five decades of public service, Bartlett said education has remained pivotal to his work, beginning 47 years ago when he represented St Andrew Eastern and continuing throughout his 30 years as Member of Parliament for St James East Central.

“For 47 years, I have worked with awarding scholarships and grants for children across Jamaica,” Bartlett said, noting that thousands of beneficiaries have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, university lecturers, professors, and other professionals.

He stressed that the initiative has never been politically motivated.

“The programme was never and will never be a political programme. I never know the colour of any of the children or their parents. It doesn’t matter to me. The schools are the ones who tell us who these students are, and we set the parameters,” he said.

Bartlett explained that recipients are selected based on academic performance and financial need, with students qualifying through the programme’s “80s Club” and “90s Club”, which recognise consistently high academic achievement.

St James East Central Member of Parliament Edmund Bartlett speaking, last Friday, during his constituency’s annual Scholarship and Welfare Fund awards ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

He also highlighted the success of several past scholarship recipients, singling out medical student Roshann Watson of Orange, St James, who graduated from The University of the West Indies with a first-class medical degree and an outstanding 4.02 GPA.

Now preparing to enter the next stage of her medical training, Watson has been placed with a physician in St James to gain practical clinical experience.

“She represents the very best of what this programme seeks to achieve,” the MP said proudly.

The ceremony also paused to honour the memory of Dr Tasha Kay Walker, whom Bartlett described as among the first students from St James Central to receive one of his scholarships before going on to become a medical doctor. Walker recently died in New York.

Despite the challenges posed by Hurricane Melissa, which caused extensive damage across the constituency last year, Bartlett commended students, teachers and parents for their outstanding academic achievements.

“If we don’t secure the children of today, we are destroying the Jamaica of tomorrow,” he said, describing that philosophy as the guiding principle behind the programme for the past three decades.

Encouraging the latest cohort of scholarship recipients, Bartlett urged them to embrace innovation throughout their educational journey.

“You must not graduate until you innovate. Innovation is about adding value to whatever exists. In all your efforts, make the difference. Be the difference,” he charged.