Guardian Life awards $600,000 in GSAT Scholarships & Grants

Taneille Donald of Mona Preparatory in Kingston and Cordell Brown of United Learning Centre in St. Ann, are the major beneficiaries of scholarships awarded for excellence in the 2011 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) by Guardian Life Limited. Taneille and Cordell will each receive $50,000 per annum for the first five years of high school. They were among 27 recipients of over $600,000 in scholarships and grants awarded by Guardian Life at a special ceremony at its head office in Kingston yesterday (August 8).

Guardian Life provides scholarships and grants every year to children and legal wards of policyholders and employees. This year, 23 children/wards of employees received grants. Additionally, as part of the company’s community outreach, the top performing boy and girl from Denham Town Primary School are awarded grants of $25,000 each.

Guest speaker at the awards ceremony, Paul Adams, President-Elect of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), lauded Guardian Life for its continued investment in education. Mr. Adams called upon educators to make the best use of the available technology to enhance learning and improve the competencies of Jamaican students to ensure they keep apace with their international counterparts.

The JTA executive also called for more parental involvement in the education of the nation’s children. “Parents do not walk away from your responsibilities to love, care and support your children as it is only through your active roles in their lives that their success and the success of the nation can be guaranteed”, he added.

Also addressing the ceremony, President of Guardian Life Limited, Eric Hosin stated that his company was pleased to recognize excellence. Mr. Hosin pointed out that the awardees had done themselves and their parents proud. He encouraged them to continue on the path of success, noting that it is only through consistent hard work that their dreams will be realized. Additionally, the Guardian Life President urged parents to continue to support their children.

This is the sixth year that Guardian Life Limited has provided scholarships and grants to children of its policyholders and employees who have excelled in the GSAT exams. The applications for the scholarships are advertised in the local media and awardees are selected annually from the pool of applicants by the Ministry of Education.