Shaquian Maxwell, Robertha McKenzie the top PEP students in St James East Central
Published:Thursday | July 17, 2025 | 12:10 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Shaquan Maxwell and Robertha McKenzie, who distinguished themselves by being the top male and female in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations in St James East Central, were recently recognised by East Central St James Scholarship and Welfare Fund,
Maxwell and McKenzie, both 12 years old, were among 150 PEP students and 75 tertiary education students who collectively received $20 million in scholarships during the scholarship fund’s 28th annual staging at the Half Moon Hotel in Montego Bay.
Maxwell, a grade-six student at the John Rollins Success Primary School, whose ambition is to become a mechanical engineer, attained a PEP score of 369 points out of a possible 400. He was quite elated, albeit not surprised, by his success.
“I feel excited and happy to be the constituency’s top PEP boy. When I found out about it, I was not surprised, because I just knew I was going to be the top boy,” Maxwell, who will be attending Herbert Morrison Technical High School in September, told The Gleaner. “Every day after school, I would come home and my sister would help me to study; and then on the weekends, I went to extra lessons.”
McKenzie, a student of Irwin Primary School, who got a PEP score of 380.9 points, was also quite pleased as she sees her success as yet another step in her dream to become a real estate agent.
“Being the top girl in East Central St James, I felt overwhelmed about it, but I was feeling happy at the same time. I feel good about going to Montego Bay High School,” explained McKenzie, who was particularly pleased that she got the school she had as her first choice.
Maxwell and McKenzie’s scholarship awards come at a time when the East Central St James Scholarship Fund, which is in its 28th year, has crossed the threshold of approximately $500 million in scholarships since its inception.
Edmund Bartlett, member of parliament for St James East Central, who has championed the scholarship fund and its impact on constituency since he rolled out the initiative in 1997, said it has been his crowning achievement for the development of young people in the constituency.
“We have invested close to half a billion dollars on education over the last 28 years, and thousands of young people have benefited from it,” he said. “We have students who have graduated from every university and teacher’s college in Jamaica, and who are at a number of universities overseas, in various disciplines, including lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, preachers, politicians. This programme, for me, has been the most successful political engagement in my nearly 50 years in public life.
“We have 150 students from PEP this year, which is among the largest cohorts that we have had at any time; and then we have another 75 students. who are in teacher’s colleges, universities, and so on. We are excited about the prospect of keeping the minds of our young people in East Central St James fully occupied with scholastic and academic pursuits,” said Bartlett, who is Jamaica’s minister of tourism.