More than 150 students at three of the island’s top tertiary institutions are now benefiting from scholarships provided by the Gore Family Foundation, which says it is continuing to increase its investment in education as it believes that this is central to Jamaica’s development.

In addition to the three tertiary institutions — The Mico University College, The University of the West Indies (The UWI) and University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) — the foundation said it assists with the management of 10 basic schools in Kingston; has started high school life skills programmes at Jamaica College and Convent of Mercy “Alpha”; and remedial programmes at Charlie Smith High School and St Andrew Technical High School.

The foundation said that last year it increased its donation for its two annual scholarships at UTech to $2.4 million. The two scholarships are the Gore Developments Limited (Gore Homes) Scholarship for students pursuing construction management at the School of Building and Land Management and the E Nadine Isaacs Memorial Scholarship for students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in architecture at the Caribbean School of Architecture.

When asked about the decision to increase the scholarships, Phillip Gore, chairman of Gore Homes, said, “We cannot turn a blind eye to the unprecedented need of these students, many of whom will be future leaders in Jamaica’s construction industry. It is because of this need that last year our $2.4-million donation to UTech was divided among 15 deserving students. In addition to providing these scholarships, we also expose Gore scholars at UTech to various projects and experiences at the foundation and at Gore Homes that we believe will be valuable in helping them to hone their skills before formally entering the profession. We will continue to do our part and encourage others to rise to the occasion as well.”

At Mico, the foundation also offers two scholarships — the James F Gore Memorial Scholarship for students in the pre-university men’s programme, which helps to respond to the shortage of men in the classroom and in teacher training institutions in Jamaica, and the Clarice May Gore Memorial Scholarship, which assists aspiring practitioners in the field of early childhood education.

“The inconsistent quality of education being delivered to students has been widely highlighted as a major problem contributing to the education crisis that exists in Jamaica today. We believe that a part of the solution to this problem is investing in our teachers to ensure that they have the requisite skills to teach our students, particularly now, given the learning loss that we have faced coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Christine Gore, executive director of the foundation.

In 2020, the foundation began the Lisa Gore Seifart Endowment Fund, continuing a long-standing relationship with The UWI and expanding the legacy of Dr Gore Seifart, a clinical psychologist who sought to better the lives of people dealing with mental illness.

“Dr Gore Seifart was a relentless advocate for mental health wellness and education, and we are proud to support students who seek to pursue similar career paths and continue the important work that she did, ” Christine Gore said.