KINGSTON, Jamaica — Bauxite mining company WINDALCO says it has invested $8 million in support of tertiary education in the country this year.

The sum has been shared among 63 students who have received grants through the company’s annual Local Scholarship & Grants Programme which benefits students residing in communities within its operational areas in St Catherine, St Ann and Manchester.

“This year, 24 students were awarded grants from communities near the Company’s Ewarton Works plant; 13 from its mining areas in St Ann; 10 from communities surrounding its Port Esquivel facility in Old Harbour; 10 from communities close to its Kirkvine Works plant in Manchester; and six from the Corporate Area,” the company said.

WINDALCO’s Human Resources Director, Glendon Johnson said that given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing financial assistance to students within and outside the company’s operational areas was more necessary this year.

“The novel coronavirus has impacted almost every household in Jamaica. It was therefore important for us as a company to assist as many students as we could, to enable them to continue their education in spite of their financial challenges,” he said.

Johnson noted that while the company is facing challenges of its own, “providing financial support to Jamaican students is a mandate that must be honoured as education not only provides an opportunity for personal growth but also aids in the development of communities and the nation.”

First-time recipient Davia Gyles said, “I must say thank you to WINDALCO for selecting me as one of the recipients under the Local Scholarship Programme. I am very appreciative of this scholarship as a third-year nursing student of the University of the West Indies. It will motivate me to continue to excel academically, and in future, to contribute to my country.”

This year’s recipients are pursuing degrees in various disciplines, to include medicine, engineering, agriculture, marketing, communications, nursing, logistics, information technology, animation, social work and economics.

They will receive continued financial assistance from the company once they maintain a Grade Point Average of 3.0.