UDC Awards GSAT Students

Twenty-two students, who sat the 2012 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), were honoured by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) on August 8, for their outstanding performance.

The students, whose parents are employed to the UDC, were presented with gift vouchers of $10,000 each during the award function held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.

The awardees are: Dannasha Dixon; Megona Hibbert; Trudy Ann Sterling; Darren Reddie; Shernelia King; Philarna Henry; Rondull Coward; Chrisan James; Penka Lawrence; Richard McCalla; Shanoy Downer; Jhenelle Thompson; Aaliyah White; Dwayne Jermein; Jessica Fenton; Kaylan Clarke; Shaday Brown; Alex Christie; Kaylene Gray; Kahlel Murray; Jessica Stewart; Aiden Picart.

Speaking at the function, Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites congratulated the children on their excellent achievement while encouraging them to remain focused and continue to excel.

“You have an opportunity, which many of your parents and grandparents didn’t have,” he said, imploring them to make the best use of the opportunities presented to them.

He also encouraged the parents to keep on working with their children so that they may continue to do well throughout high school and university.

The Education Minister commended the UDC for the gesture, adding that an educated population is critical to nation building.

General Manager, UDC, Desmond Malcolm, said the agency believes it has a corporate mandate “to help to furnish our present generation with some of the tools needed for it to become an even greater one than ours."

"The presence here of you, our children and you parents demonstrates the level of commitment to not just creating physical structures, but empowering the people that occupy the structures,” he said.

He told the recipients that the nation is depending on them to take “us to the next Jamaica 50 celebrations and facilitate not just a nation on a mission but a nation that achieves its mission successfully through education”.