Thirty Jamaicans to be awarded the First Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship

The Government of Jamaica will award thirty public servants for the Inaugural Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship today, August 17, 2021. The scholarship awards ceremony, held at Kings’ House, will provide recipients with the opportunity to obtain a postgraduate degree from competitive, appropriately accredited universities in Jamaica, North America, and Europe.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Honourable Nigel Clarke, acknowledged the significance of this initiative to the future public sector,

“As Jamaica progresses on the ladder of development, we will need a public service with the highest levels of competence and knowledge that can deliver on our aspirations. In addition, we need a public service where there is an appreciation for how challenges and problems in respective fields are addressed and resolved by other countries worldwide. International exposure coupled with an appreciation of local context is critical for our ambitions to be realized.”

Governor General of Jamaica, His Excellency, The Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen, ON, GCMG, CD, congratulated the awardees for their outstanding achievement,

“Congratulations to the public officers who have been selected to pursue further studies in their respective areas of work. I am confident that the knowledge they will acquire will redound to the benefit of the country’s national development agenda.”

The scholarship recipients will pursue graduate studies in programmes of study that align with Jamaica’s national priorities and strategic objectives. The Marcus Garvey Scholarship Programme is an annual initiative which will enable the development of a public sector-wide talent resource pool by providing the financial resources to 150 qualified candidates (public servants) for five (5) years to pursue postgraduate studies. These programme areas include public policy, public finance, public health, education, economics, development studies, and urban planning.