Public-Sector Workers Urged to Apply for Marcus Garvey Graduate Scholarship
By: , January 11, 2024
Photo: Adrian Walker
Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen (front row, third right), is flanked by the 2023 recipients of the Marcus Garvey Public Sector Scholarship during the awards ceremony at King’s House on August 17. Nineteen public-sector employees have been awarded scholarships to pursue masters or doctoral studies at an approved local and or international university.The Full Story
Applications for the Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship are now open for government workers.
Launched in 2020 by Finance and the Public Service Minister, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, the scholarship, which represents investment of $1 billion over a five-year period, aims to upskill public-sector workers who wish to pursue postgraduate studies.
Thirty scholarships are offered each year.
Senior Director for Strategic Workforce and Improvement in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Sherona King, told JIS News that the application period runs from December 18 to February 23, 2024. She encouraged public-sector workers to apply.
“The scholarship is specifically geared towards the development of public-sector workers as well as to advance the GOJ strategic priorities in terms of human capital development. It serves to develop and improve the standards in the public sector.
“The more trained persons are, they are better able to deliver quality service,” Ms. King said, noting that the programme is in keeping with the Government’s service excellence thrust.
“Government is big on service excellence. It is also a huge investment for public-sector workers because we may not be regarded as the highest paid but we get a lot of opportunities to study and develop ourselves, so I encourage public-sectors workers to grasp this opportunity,” she urged.
The scholarship is now entering its fourth year, with some previous recipients having already completed their studies.
“The feedback has been great from past recipients of the scholarship. They see it as a great opportunity because under normal circumstances, they would not have been able to afford it, especially those who have to go abroad to study. The cost is enormous, and they are happy that they are covered by the Government and they can just focus on their studies,” Ms. King said.
Applicants are required to visit the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service website at www.mof.gov.jm and go to the Marcus Garvey Scholarship.com link.
Persons will be taken to a page to submit their personal information as well as to upload the required documents.
“If persons do not complete the application process and upload their documents, they will automatically be disqualified. We encourage applicants to pay attention when applying,” Ms. King noted.