Government of Jamaica
The finalists of the 2018 Junior Schools Challenge Quiz, champions Mount Airy All Age and runners up Broughton Primary were treated with a reception by the Minister of Tourism, Honourable Edmund Bartlett for their impressive performance in the national quiz competition.
The students were hosted by the tourism minister at the Rayon Hotel in Negril, who commended them their performance, particularly for being winners and runners up from the same parish of Westmoreland. He expressed that the students were an example of excellence and consistency; and emphasized the need for their achievement to be publicized and praised.
“We have benefitted from it (the win) because we are able to see the potential that lies within our midst. We also benefitted because it gives us a sense of what more we can do and how much further we can go if we apply ourselves and use our resources well.” He said.
The Tourism Minister, who has been instrumental in heralding programmes that are focused on developing the human resource, such as the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) highlighted his passion for education, making mention of students that have benefitted from a university education in his East Central St. James constituency.
Minister Bartlett, to further cement his belief in granting students the opportunity to gain an education offered four students from both schools scholarships, as they prepare to move on to the next level of furthering their education. The scholarships will cover their entrance to high school, and other requirements for the students to remain enrolled in school to enable them to be positive contributors to society.
“We want to raise the standard; we want to build a new and better Jamaica, based on knowledge, education and innovation. We want to build a country that we can be proud of, where productivity is high, but most importantly, where relationships are based on the ability to reason, understand and negotiate. I want to encourage you (students) to do well and teachers to provide the guidance that the students need” He said
Projectors were also handed over to both schools to enable them to better carry out their mandate.
In April, the Tourism Product Development Company Limited will officially begin their own quiz competition, TPDCo Tourism Quiz, which is in its second year and was created to increase awareness of tourism and its benefits among the primary level population.
