Tertiary Students to Benefit from Mo’Bay 10k Run

Students attending tertiary institutions in western Jamaica, who are facing financial challenges, are to benefit from the first FLOW Mo’Bay 10k City Run.

The organisers of the event, scheduled to take place in May, are hoping to raise in excess of $5 million to assist students attending the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology (UTech) western campuses; Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College and the Montego Bay Community College.

Minister of Education Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, who delivered the keynote address at the media launch held on February 25 at the Holiday Sun Spree Resort in Montego Bay, lauded the move to assist students from humble backgrounds, who are pursuing tertiary education.

“The good thing that’s happening in education in Jamaica now is that more and more of our students from limited economic and social backgrounds are matriculating for tertiary education.   It is, in fact, a triumph for them, as all of them by and large, are the first persons in their families to ever have gone to a university or a college,” he noted.

Rev. Thwaites said that Jamaican has a lot to be thankful for, as countries with far larger gross domestic product (GDP) and growth rates, do not enjoy similar access to education.

“There is a place in early childhood for every single child and we have a universal primary education system.  When we became independent, it wasn’t more than 10 or 15 per cent of our secondary cohort, who had a place in a five-year institution, now its 95 per cent this year,” he informed.

The Education Minister noted that the Government pays more than 80 per cent of the economic cost of education, which is a credit to the taxpayers of the country.

“This places a tremendous responsibility upon those who are the beneficiaries of education because they are in fact using the meager earnings and the contributions of those persons in order to advance themselves.  This therefore means that the quality of education has to be at the highest level possible, because of the sacrifices that are involved in providing it,” he pointed out.

Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited has committed to invest $2 million in cash and services towards the staging of the inaugural Mo’Bay City Run, which will start and end at the Old Hospital Park across from the Wexford Court Hotel.

Director of Corporate Communications for Columbus, Gail Abrahams, said that the company’s support for the event is in keeping with a commitment to assist initiatives related to education and community development.

“Our participation and support of the MoBay City Run is an important investment in the community in western Jamaica. We believe that working together to build stronger communities is a critical step towards realising our full potential as a strong nation,” Ms. Abrahams said.