The Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) is inviting eligible students living in bauxite-producing communities to apply for the JBI Hoilett/Lambert Scholarship 2026 before the June 4 deadline.
It is open to tertiary-level students in the parishes of St. Ann, Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Clarendon and St. Catherine, who are pursuing degree programmes in the Sciences, Engineering, Creative Arts, Logistics Management, Information Technology (IT)/Computer Science, and Education.
Awards are valued at $500,000 to cover tuition and are valid for one year.
Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, Director of Bauxite Lands and Programme Manager for the Bauxite Community Development Programme (BCDP), Kemoy Lindsay, said that $70 million has been allocated to support education initiatives across the five bauxite parishes, including the JBI’s Hoilett/Lambert Scholarship.
It is named in honour of late former Research Specialists at the JBI, Drs. Nigel Hoilett and Hugh Lambert, who gave exemplary service to the BCDP.
The scholarship programme is valued at $30 million over two years, which is an increase from the $15 million allocated in previous years.
“Upwards of 30 students from bauxite communities and parishes will benefit from full coverage of tuition to attend the university of their choice to study selected subjects. This is one of the ways that the industry is recycling the earnings directly into communities and for the benefit of Jamaicans across these parishes,” Mr. Lindsay said.
“So, if you know anyone or if you are interested and would qualify, we encourage you to visit our website, jbi.org.jm, get updated on the scholarship programme and please apply,” he appealed.
The support for educational initiatives under the BCDP also extends to basic, primary and high schools across the bauxite space.
“We have also allocated over $30 million to support rural healthcare development in the five bauxite parishes and we’re looking also to invest a further $100 million into the agricultural space, primarily through our Rural Economic Development Initiative in partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF),” Mr. Lindsay told JIS News.
“This is part and parcel of the responsibility we play in the sector; to ensure that the earnings received from the industry is directed in some way to residents on the ground,” he said.
The BCDP is the primary tool that the Government uses to reinvest the earnings of the bauxite industry into communities.
Under the programme, special funding is provided for communities near bauxite and alumina operations that face several challenges including the effects of noise, dust, plant odours, spillages, a reduction in agricultural lands, the dereliction of mined-out lands, and relatively low levels of infrastructural development and employment.
The BCDP was established in October 1996 with the JBI designated as the agency responsible for its management.
