The top four performers in the 2021 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exams from Greenwich Town Primary and St Andrew Primary schools were recently awarded five-year scholarships by Petrojam Limited.

The 2021 scholars, Adagerine Clarke and Jakeem Greaves of St Andrew Primary School and Arigzel Gooden and Selma Hedge of Greenwich Primary School, each received scholarships valued at $300,000 over five years to cover tuition, books, and other related expenses. The presentation was made at a ceremony held at Petrojam’s offices on Marcus Garvey Drive.

General manager of the oil refinery, Winston Watson, in congratulating the awardees, implored them to seek to maintain a high level of self-discipline throughout their high school years. “That same level of self-discipline and perseverance, which resulted in this achievement, is what is required for you to remain focused and to achieve the same and even higher levels of success, during your high school years,” he stated. “Use this opportunity to continue to excel, ensuring that you place no limits on your abilities. You now have an entire family at Petrojam who are rooting for you, who will regularly check on your performance and are ready and willing to offer academic support and guidance,” he continued. This is provided through a formal mentorship programme.

Pledging the commitment of the awardees to excel in both academic and co-curricular activities, Jakeem Greaves, the top male student of St Andrew Primary, in his reply, thanked Petrojam for the “amazing opportunity afforded them to be shining stars and future leaders of the nation”.

“We are quite grateful for such a tremendous opportunity that ensures that we have access to quality education and will enable us to focus on our academics, so we can become leaders who are empowered to change our communities, Jamaica, and ultimately the world,” young Jakeem stated.

Colin Barnett, manager, human resource development and administration, informed that the scholarship programme, which began in 2006, is part of Petrojam’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme, which has education as a major emphasis.

“The programme has reaped tremendous success with a number of the participants matriculating to tertiary institutions. To date, 49 students have been awarded scholarships since the programme started in 2006. There are currently 23 students in the programme,” he informed.