Two teachers out of rural Jamaica have been awarded Kingston Bookshop Biennial Tertiary Scholarships for 2005-2007. They are Miss Claudette Gilzene and Mrs Celomie Henry. Together the ladies have given 50 years of service to the teaching profession.

Miss Gilzene is a department head at the Golden Grove Primary & Infant School in St Thomas. She holds, among other things, a Teacher’s Diploma from the Shortwood Teachers’ College and will be pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

In a letter to the company Miss Gilzene said that having received the scholarship, “my mind would be at ease so I can better concentrate on my studies and perform at the highest level possible.” She has pledged to continue to be a positive contributor to the education system.

Mrs Henry is a senior teacher at the Tredegar Park All Age School in St Catherine. She holds a Teacher’s Diploma from the St Joseph’s Teachers’ College and will be pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree in Educational Administration at the UWI.

In an immediate response to the news of her award Mrs Henry expressed thanks to God and the company and was particularly happy to know that the scholarship covers full tuition.

These most recent awardees bring to nine the number of teachers to benefit from this Kingston Bookshop initiative which provides full tuition tertiary level scholarships for teachers who have served for 15 or more years in a Jamaican classroom. The awards are made in collaboration with the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) and were presented at the General Conference held in August.

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