Nine Principals Awarded $450,000 by CIBC for Post Hurricane Recovery Efforts

Nine principals have been awarded grants totalling $450,000 by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) Caribbean as a personal reward for their leadership and resilience in getting their schools back on track after Hurricane Melissa.

The principals, who each received $50,000, are from institutions in St. Ann, St. James, Manchester, St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland, which were hardest hit by the hurricane.

They were chosen by the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL).

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, in her address at the handover ceremony on Tuesday (July 21) at the CIBC’s New Kingston offices, commended the principals for their selfless stewardship in getting their institutions up and running after the devastation caused by the hurricane.

“Each of you represent a region, a school, a community but today you also represent resilience. You represent the heart of our education system and you represent what it means to lead with courage. You know what it means to lead a difficult road and to stand tall. Just know that the Ministry of Education is forever grateful for your selfless leadership, for embracing the call to resume the learning community, for reaching out to other partners so that you can meet the immediate needs of your learners and your staff members,” she said.

Dr. Troupe hailed CIBC Caribbean for the contribution to the school leaders.

“It’s a message to say, ‘we see your humanity, we see your struggle and we are willing to stand beside you when things get tough’,” she noted.

Director of Corporate Banking for Jamaica at CIBC Caribbean, Barrington Watson, said that the contribution was to recognise the commitment of the leaders who have stood steadfast with their schools and communities through a very challenging period.

He noted that even while they were dealing with personal loss and damage, “they were still checking on students, supporting teachers, assessing the classrooms and school facilities that they were having classes in, and doing everything in their power to have restored stability and hope for the children entrusted in their care”.

“Leadership is not defined by the ease of the journey but by the courage shown during life’s greatest challenges. Our principals… demonstrated leadership in its truest form. At CIBC Caribbean, we believe rebuilding communities requires far more than repairing buildings. It requires investing in the people whose leadership, compassion and commitment hold those countries and communities together. Schools are the heartbeat of our communities and principals are the leaders that keep that heartbeat strong and beating,” Mr. Watson said.