BGLC Awards Education Grants to 250 Tertiary-Level Students

A total of 250 students from 30 tertiary institutions across the island have benefited from education grants provided by the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC).

The recipients were selected from a pool of 590 applicants, who submitted essays exploring the challenges relating to the industry, including the influence and impact of gambling advertising on the Jamaican youth.

Special awards were given to the top 10 students with the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) and the best essays.

Speaking at a meet and greet event at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge, University of the West Indies (UWI) recently, Executive Director at the BGLC, Vitus Evans, said that the entity implemented the grant programme “because we understand the financial challenges many students face within the course of their education.”

He encouraged the students to make good use of their studies in order to contribute to national development.

Fourth-year student at the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St. James, Opre-Ann Jones, who was the top recipient, told JIS News that she is grateful for the grant, as it will help her to complete her studies.

Opre-Ann, who is receiving the grant for the second year in a row, is encouraging other students to seek out similar opportunities to pursue higher education.

The BGLC education grant is in its fifth year, with more than $50 million awarded by the entity to tertiary-level students over the period.

The grant is just one of the many ways the BGLC supports the youth. The Commission hosts an annual internship programme, with 72 students benefitting from the initiative this year.

The meet and greet event provided an opportunity for the students to network and make meaningful connections.