September 21, 2005
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Blue Cross of Jamaica on Wednesday, August 24 awarded
21 five-year scholarships valued at $1.6M to children entering high
school this year. The scholarships were awarded in a presentation ceremony
at Eden Gardens in Kingston. The recipients are children of Blue Cross
staff members and dependents of subscribers in the categories of civil
servants, nurses, teachers, police officers and private sector workers.
The programme was introduced 12 years ago, as one way of fulfilling
the organisation's ongoing corporate and philanthropic commitment to
advance and enrich the quality of life of Jamaicans. Selections were
made in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture
for students placed in traditional High Schools. Photo shows the 17
of the 21 recipients posing with the company's Vice-President Marketing
and Customer Services David Garel |
Educator Elaine Foster-Allen, Principal of Shortwood Teachers College has called for parents to intervene in the learning lives of their children by restricting television time, introducing homework policies and encouraging of critical thinking.
Mrs. Foster-Allen was delivering the keynote address at the 12th Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony of Blue Cross of Jamaica held recently at Eden Gardens. The health insurance company awarded 21 five-year scholarships valued at $1.6M to children entering high school this year.
According to Mrs. Foster-Allen, "too often our children go home to four hours of television with no adult intervention. Nobody to say stop and think, I'll tell you that many of our children cannot differentiate between fact and fiction on the moving screen." Mrs. Foster-Allen said multiple research support this claim.
The educator encouraged parents to spend more time with their children helping them to become critical thinkers. Said she, "Ask questions about how they feel, about their own thoughts and ideas on things. Apart from demonstrating that you yourself are interested in learning and that you will continue to be lifelong learners, you must have some policies on when homework is to be done."
"We need to ask some Socratic questions. What do you think? What would happen if? How do you feel about so and so? Are you aware of? We need to find ways of developing critical thinking in our children and there are many countries, where teaching children philosophy is now part and parcel of the school curriculum," she told her audience.
"Parents I would like to encourage you to put in place, what I call the infrastructure, the scaffolding for your children to learn to become scholars. These are the days when we are not just about rote learning. We are about teaching our children to learn how to learn.
She told the parents, "We do not always remind our students to be fervent in their studies. We do not always remind them that they should demonstrate gratefulness and thankfulness. I do believe that if we spend more time developing in our children the love of learning, then our schools and our classrooms, would be better places for all concerned."
She challenged the students to rise to the challenges of being a scholar. "Love learning, have zeal, be ready AND prepared for learning she said. If as children you dream of being a person, a student in whose blend of character - that is who you are, how you behave, how you think, your schools your family and Jamaica will take pride, then you are worthy of the scholarship. You are worthy of the scholarship if you believe that you have the moral force of character to be obedient, to be trustworthy and to give yourself to service."
And, President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross of Jamaica Dr. the Honourable Errol Morrison told the students that education remains one of the greatest engines for success. Against the background that the average Jamaican has been exposed to only five years of schooling, Professor Morrison told the students" with your years of schooling, you will have been given much and from you, we are going to expect much. At the end of six years you will have had the opportunity to become really important contributors to this country.
According to Professor Morrison, for the average the worker to cope with today's technology, he or she needs at least 12 years of education.
The Blue Cross of Jamaica Scholarship Awards Programme was introduced 12 years ago, as one way of fulfilling the organisation's ongoing corporate and philanthropic commitment to advance and enrich the quality of life of Jamaicans. The scholarships are dedicated especially to facilitating the positive development of Jamaican youth as the organization fulfils its social responsibility of pursuing a wider programme dedicated to facilitating the positive development of Jamaican young people.
All the Blue Cross scholarships are renewed annually based on the students, maintaining a 75 per cent average overall, in addition to good conduct certificates from their school Principal.
This year's recipients are; Jordanne Elliot, Campion College; O'Darie Hunter,
Campion College; Deron Maitland, Ardenne High; Orane Bailey, Mannings High;
Wilmore Brown, Campion College; Myles Chingara, Santa Cruz High; Whitney Phipps,
Immaculate High; Javed Smith, Ardenne High; Arielle Bernard, Mount Alvernia
High; Rushane Campbell, Campion College; Kendese Nagle, Campion College; Javane
Powell, Campion College; Javan Willacey, Kingston College; Chamar Channer,
Calabar High; Tamisha Headley, Holy Childhood High; Jason Bailey, Papine High;
Laurian Ford, St. Hugh's High; Anique Reid, Oberlin High; Shavaun Garvey,
Jamaica College; Danielle Phillpotts-Brown, Campion College and Sheldon Byfield
Guy's Hill High.
