TWENTY-ONE students have received scholarships and book grants valued at more than $3.4 million under the Burger King National Scholarship Awards Programme.

The programme, in its 14th year, was instituted by Restaurant Associates Limited, local operators of the Burger King franchise. It provides cash awards for students pursuing secondary and tertiary studies. Approximately $28 million has been disbursed over the years.

For the 2014/15 academic year, scholarships of $200,000 each were awarded to four students — Saran Ffrench, Dane Jones, Giordayne Medley and Rena Spike — who were successful in the 2014 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT). In addition, 12 students who were runners-up for GSAT awards each received book grants valued at $15,000.

Burger King also provided scholarships ranging in value from $100,000 to $900,000 for students pursuing tertiary studies. The Lois Sherwood Scholarship was awarded to Annderine Hendricks, while David Morgan was the recipient of the Rodwell Lake Scholarship. Both students will receive up to $900,000 over a three-year period to defray the cost of tuition and educational supplies while pursuing undergraduate degrees at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

The Lois Sherwood Arts Scholarship, a one-year grant valued at $100,000, was awarded to ShaVaugh Rattigan, a student at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts. Shaunna Helps of Wolmer’s Girls’ received a sports scholarship valued at $120,000; while Nadine Hall of Edna Manley College and Zavia Walker of UWI won bursaries of $100,000 and $150,000 respectively.

Established in 2001, the Burger King National Scholarship Programme is the brainchild of Restaurant Associates Limited chairman Lois Lake-Sherwood. The awards scheme was set up to provide assistance for financially challenged students who had been successful in the GSAT exams.

In 2008, in response to increasing needs, the programme was expanded to cover tertiary studies with the launch of the Lois Sherwood Scholarship and the Rodwell Lake Scholarship. The Lois Sherwood Arts Scholarship was added in 2010.

This year, as the programme marks its 14th anniversary, the Valda Ormsby Scholarship was introduced in honour of the company’s long-serving general manager. This grant, which is valued at $200,000, is earmarked for a student from Kellits Primary School who will be attending Clarendon College. The inaugural recipient is Reneil Douglas.

“We recognise that every year parents and students face immense challenges paying school fees and other academic expenses, and since the support that is available from the Government cannot meet all the needs, we know this is an area where our company can make a meaningful contribution,” said Sabrena McDonald Radcliffe, Restaurant Associates Limited’s sales and marketing manager.

“We have consistently provided scholarships for students over the last 14 years and we are proud of the fact that our programme has expanded so an increasing number of students are now benefiting,” she added.

Sabrena McDonald Radcliffe, Restaurant Associates Limited’s sales and marketing manager (centre), poses with the GSAT book grant winners for the 2014 Burger King National Scholarship Programme.