“MARCUS GARVEY PUBLIC SECTOR GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP IS A SUCCESS”, SAYS RECIPIENT FROM THE FIRST COHORT

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Kingston, Jamaica: Friday, August 18, 2023

On the 136th anniversary of the birth of the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, ONH, the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) awarded the third cohort of the Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship with fully-funded tuition fees to leading universities locally and internationally.

The recipients were awarded during a ceremony at King’s House on Thursday, August 17, 2023.

Returning to the awards ceremony as the keynote speaker was Major Othneil Blackwood from the first cohort. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2022 with a Masters of Philosophy in Education which was afforded to him in 2021 through the Marcus Garvey Public  Sector Graduate Scholarship programme.

Major Othneil Blackwood, a past recipient of the Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship delivers the keynote address during the awards ceremony.

After the ceremony, Major Blackwood noted, “The question is not whether the Marcus Garvey scholarship is a success, it is a question of the level to which the success is. It is hugely successful, it has been a life-changing opportunity. [The scholarship] takes latent talent within the public service and elevates it to the level where it can be its best to develop the country and to achieve key national development goals, particularly around human capital”.

He further mentioned, “It is ensuring that we have the right kinds of public servants who are armed with the knowledge in their respective fields and who are also exposed to the level of the best and brightest in the world because Jamaica has a legacy of greatness to uphold.”

Major Black will now be pursuing a PhD in Education starting in the academic year 2023/24. He is determined to bridge the gap between real-world military operations, civil-military relations and scholarship.

Meanwhile, in his remarks, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen ON, GCMG, Dc, KStJ, Governor-General of Jamaica, reminded the audience that this scholarship programme is intended to be a human capital development initiative to provide world-class educational opportunities for Jamaicans.

He further noted, “I felt extremely gratified last November when Major Othneil Blackwood of the JDF visited me on a courtesy call and presented me with my own copy of his master’s thesis. This is a success story and I see that Major Blackwood is our keynote speaker for today”.

He also mentioned that he is looking forward to the increase in the uptake of the scholarships over the next two years.

The selection committee for Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship is led by His Excellency along with delegates from across the public sector.

Speaking on behalf of Dr Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Wayne Jones, OD, JP, Deputy Financial Secretary, cited that the scholarship recipients are carefully selected and are set to be of the highest level of skills and competencies within the government.

He said, “The Marcus Garvey Public Sector Scholarship, whilst a stand-alone education activity, is connected to the bigger effort of the government of Jamaica of transforming the public sector into a place where all Jamaicans aspire to work, to a place where all Jamaicans look for the best quality public service, to a place where public service management is at the top and ranked with the developed countries of the world”.

Additionally, he stated, “The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service continues to lead the charge in facilitating opportunities for public sector workers and the citizens of Jamaica”.

There was a tribute to Marcus Garvey and the scholarship recipients during the ceremony by Omaal Wright and his daughter Ngozi. Saxophonist Fred Robertson played renditions of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ Redemption Song and Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come.

Omaal Wright and his daughter Ngozi pays tribute to the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, ONH and the scholarship recipients during the awards ceremony.

The awardees are Capt. Natalie James, Dr Tudy-Ann Johnson-Hylton, Dr Sherika Equiana-Flowers, Dr Stefan Flowers, Rajive Ford, Dr Roshane Simmonds, Krissy-Lee McLean, Shannon Douglas-Francis, Syleen O’Gilvie, Daniella McGillvary, Crystal Lambert, Christopher Blake, Tash-Marie Chambers, Fabian Lowe, Latoya Greaves, His Honor Alwayne Smith, Crystal Rowe-Allen, Jon-Michael Linton and Davian Holland.

The scholarship recipients can pursue postgraduate studies from competitive, appropriately accredited universities in Jamaica, North America and Europe. To be eligible for the scholarship, the recipient must be Jamaican nationals/citizens under 45 years old at the time of application whether permanently appointed, temporary or on contract with at least 2 years of continuous service.

The Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship Programme is administered by the Marcus Garvey Technical Secretariat (MGTS), a division of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service. The scholarship’s secretariat organises all of its activities, including the handling of applications, the distribution of prizes, the tracking and evaluation of recipients and the welfare of the recipients.

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For further information contact: 

Corporate Communication & Public Relations Branch

Ministry of Finance and the Public Service

30 National Heroes Circle

Kingston 4

Tel: (876) 932-4656/4660/4655

Email:  Shelly-Ann.Weeks@mof.gov.jm; Shakiel.Rochester-Shorter@mof.gov.jm