Big Support for STEM Students by JPS Foundation

The Jamaica Public Service Foundation (JPSF) has awarded 25 scholarships and grants this year, valued at a combined $6.18 million, to secondary and tertiary students pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies, under its PowerUp Scholarship Programme.

The programme aims to improve access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in Jamaica and to support the Government’s drive to better equip Jamaicans to thrive within a dynamic global environment, while contributing to national development.

Addressing the awards ceremony, held on Thursday (July 24) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, said the programme is in line with the Government’s commitment to drive economic development through STEM education.

“The Ministry of Education operates a massive budget – $182 billion annually –and with that we are not able to do this alone. We need partners like the JPS Foundation to support our investment. STEM education is important for the development of our economy. We need our scientists and we need people to drive technology. We ought not to be producing students who are just consumers of technology, we also want developers of technology,” Dr. Troupe said.

For his part, President and Chief Executive Officer of the JPS, Hugh Grant, said science and technology education is an important area of focus for the JPS Foundation.

“We here at JPS take great pride in STEM education, because STEM education affords a creative pipeline to do important things in the field of STEM,” the President said.

Awards were disbursed under the following categories: PowerUp Community Renewal Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Grant; PowerUp STEM Teachers’ College Scholarship; PowerUp Korea East West Power (EWP) STEM Grant; and the 2024 awardees, whose scholarships have been renewed.

A special feature of the programme is the JPS Volunteers on Location to Serve (VOLTS) PEP Scholarship, where voluntary contributions are made by JPS staff. This is granted to three students entering high school.

VOLTS PEP scholarship recipient, Samuel Ridgard, who will be commencing studies at Munro College in September, told JIS News that the scholarship will help to fund his secondary education.

“I am interested in engineering. I want to make electrical cars and electrical toys,” he shared.

University of Technology (Utech) Jamaica PowerUp EWP STEM grant recipient, Gabrielle Brown, who is in her second year in industrial engineering, said one of her high-school teachers recognised her potential and encouraged her to pursue a career in STEM.

“He said that I was wasting my potential in business only, so I did my research and liked it and decided to pursue it. Industrial engineering is where business and machines meet. I will be applying this study to assist businesses to make their processes, whether it is manufacturing or construction, more efficient,” she said.

The JPSF launched its Power Up Scholarship in 2024 focusing on STEM Education. In the first year of the strategy, there were 28 new scholarships and grants combined. Now in its second year, the Foundation will be renewing eight scholarships for students both at the secondary and tertiary levels and awarding 25 new scholarships and grants.

The creation of these grants and STEM scholarships will support Jamaica’s National Outcome 11 – a technology-enabled society.

It also supports the National Science and Technology Policy 2022, which seeks to, among other things, develop a culture of innovation and infrastructure, which seeks to ensure sustainable infrastructure while fostering innovation.