MORE than 1,000 students across St James, Clarendon, and St Catherine have started the 2026/2027 academic year with added support after receiving financial aid, bursaries, school supplies, medical checks, and other assistance through Excelerate Energy’s annual Back-to-School Financial Aid Programme.

Delivered with support from the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce & Industry in St James, with Food For the Poor Jamaica as its non-governmental partner, the initiative helped families manage the rising cost of preparing children for school while ensuring that students with strong academic potential and demonstrated financial need had the resources to continue their education with confidence.

The programme provided $10,000 school supply vouchers to approximately 1,200 students, bursaries for approximately 70 students, and free medical examinations for approximately 400 students, along with backpacks, notebooks and other supplies for up to 1,500 students.

Upper-school students received bursaries of up to $50,000 and PEP students up to $25,000, paid directly to their schools to help cover tuition contributions, external examinations and other school-related expenses.

For many families, including some still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Melissa which devastated sections of the island last October, the assistance provided timely relief at one of the most financially demanding periods of the year.

For Montego Bay parent Dannia Ennis, the assistance came as her family continues to recover from the storm.

“Hurricane Melissa destroyed most of my house, but my father is slowly rebuilding. So, I’m very grateful for this support because it takes a little bit of the stress off, especially because I have more than one child going back to school,” Ennis said.

Tiffany Lawson, another parent whose son is entering Grade 6 at Irwin Primary, said the assistance would help her family manage school-related expenses.

“Although we have some setbacks from the hurricane, we’re pulling through and this support will definitely fill a gap,” Lawson said.

For Simone Cummings, whose child attends Old Harbour Bay Primary and Junior High, the assistance meant her child could return to school prepared and included.

“This support means a lot to me, especially since books are so expensive. Many parents are not able to afford it and with this help, the children do not have to feel left out when they go back to school,” Cummings said.

Robert Russell, president of the chamber, said the partnership was meaningful because schools and guidance counsellors helped identify students most in need.

“This programme is not just picking a name out of a hat; it’s with consultation with the school and guidance counsellors so we are able to monitor and make sure that the right persons get the resources that are required,” Russell said.

Meanwhile, Verona Carter, vice-president and general manager – Caribbean, Excelerate Energy, said the programme reflects the company’s continued investment in education and youth development in Jamaica.

“When we invest in our young people, we are not only creating opportunities for them and their families; we are helping to build stronger communities and a stronger Jamaica,” Carter said.

Beyond the back-to-school programme, Excelerate supports a range of education initiatives in Jamaica, including tertiary engineering and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) scholarships, its annual engineering internship programme, STEM summer camps in partnership with the University of Technology, Jamaica, and support for the Jamaica Mathematical Olympiad in partnership with The University of the West Indies.

Together, these programmes form part of Excelerate’s commitment to expanding educational opportunities for young Jamaicans and strengthening the communities in which it operates.