JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation Scholarship Applications Closing May 31
In keeping with the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation’s commitment to transform Jamaica, through education, the Foundation will continue to offer scholarships to some of the most vulnerable, but promising, students. For this year, scholarships are available to final year students enrolled in any undergraduate degree programme at local tertiary institutions, with the exception of: medical sciences, dentistry, architecture, engineering and law. Individuals may apply for this scholarship on the foundation’s website at, http://www.joanduncanfoundation.org/scholarships-and-educational-grants, by May 31, 2020.
In addition, financial assistance will also be given to students at the primary and secondary level, on a case-by-case basis.
Scholarship applicants should also be well-rounded, as evidenced by their involvement in extra-curricular activities or voluntary work done in their schools/communities; and demonstrate satisfactory academic performance. Each scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, books and/or other school-related expenses.
Kim Mair, CEO, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation shares, “For this year, we decided to focus on providing selected final year students with scholarships, to ensure that some of the most vulnerable students, who are on the cusp of completing their programmes, are able to do so, without interruption. This will therefore, afford them (the opportunity) to catapult to the next stage of their professional journey, seamlessly.” The CEO adds, “The foundation has offered almost J$50M in scholarship funds in the last five years, to over 100 recipients who have paved their path of greatness, created their own one love story and transformed their communities; some of whom have gone on to achieve international awards to pursue further studies, become trailblazers for their families as the first university graduate, among other noteworthy achievements. We are looking forward to building on that legacy of being agents of transformation, for a new cohort of recipients.”
Patricia Sutherland, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation chairman, in underscoring the commitment of the Foundation, notes, “As we prepare for life during and the post-COVID-19 pandemic, one of the things that will help us is certainty. So, as a Foundation, we continue to play our part to ensure that students can make their plans for the new academic year, no matter what schools look like in September or beyond.“ By providing scholarships the Foundation seeks to encourage students to be spurred by their purpose and create their own story, by overcoming their fear and obstacles and choosing to have a positive mindset, and to identify opportunities, even in crisis.
Sutherland adds, “Financial assistance is only a part of how we choose to support our scholarship recipients. We couple this with our Conversations for Greatness (CFG) session, which helps to develop a mindset that will unearth their own greatness as they pursue their purpose.” The scholarship programme is aimed at positively impacting lives and transforming individuals, by bridging the financial gap for many ordinary Jamaicans, who would otherwise be challenged to afford university. In keeping with this vein, and the holistic approach taken by the Foundation; all scholarship recipients are exposed to transformational training, led by a trained facilitator. This transformational training workshop explores: self-reflection; self-awareness; paradigm-shifting; critical-thinking; and visioning, among other areas. Sutherland shared, “through the workshop, the Foundation is able to share tools with the recipients, so that they can be empowered to achieve their dreams, enabling them to live more powerful lives and to unlock their true potential.” This training is also offered, in a more fulsome way, through the Foundation’s national programme, Conversations for Greatness, which has been implemented in over 80 schools islandwide, resulting in a transformation in some of the schools once dubbed, as underperforming, by the Ministry of Education, in 2015.
Funding Education: The JMMB Group Response
In response to the ongoing challenges in funding education, especially at the tertiary level, JMMB Group has signaled its commitment to this area by rolling - out several initiatives, including: introducing a special postgraduate loan offer, with the Mona School of Business & Management (MSBM); increasing the amount allocated to its scholarship programme, annually; and the establishment of endowments at the two major universities – The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech). As a part of its mandate, the Foundation remains committed to the development of youth, through education, as a vehicle for transformation and advancement.