Petrina FrancisTWENTY-TWO STUDENTS from tertiary institutions across the island were yesterday honoured for their exceptional performance in education.
They were honoured at the awards ceremony for 'Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education Week', hosted by the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) and the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education, at the Terra Nova Hotel, St. Andrew.
The students were selected based on characteristics that the institutions believe were representative of their "philosophy and ethos as well as academic pursuits, extra-curricular activities, sports and leadership skills".
Manley Wisdom, one of the honourees, said: "It is an honour indeed (being selected), quite a prestigious award, especially looking at the criteria."
Speaking at the ceremony, John Randall, consultant in higher education in the United Kingdom said, "The real market of a quality education system is not how well it educates its elite, but how well it educates the masses of people so that the country has the human resource that will attract the work in the global economy."
A number of institutions were given accreditation by the UCJ yesterday and Mr. Randall noted that "accreditation is so important because that is what gives a safeguard to those who invest their time, their family's money in their education".
The UCJ has a number of activities planned for this week, under the theme 'Assuring the Quality of Tertiary Education to Meet Global Challenges and Requirements'.
Elvris Hewitt-Buckle, immediate past principal of Knox Community College, received the Outstanding Educator Award.
