Mico gets $1.5 million donation to help students impacted by COVID-19

December 3, 2021 0 comments Dr. Marston Thomas, PhD, JP Categories Updates

The Mico Old Students Association has handed over $1.5 million to the Mico University College COVID-19 Relief Fund to assist students impacted by the pandemic.

At the handover ceremony this afternoon, association president, Dr Merrit Henry, said the needs of students are great.

“When we started off we had many doubts. Not that our alumni would fail us, but because we are also facing challenges as a result of COVID and so to launch out to assist the college and to assist the students, it means going the extra mile,” she said.

University president Asburn Pinnock expressed gratitude for the donation, which will be put towards tuition assistance, laptops, tablets, data plans, food and personal items.

“We look forward to making a lot of students happier as they move into the next semester, that they can actually access their education without interruption,” Pinnock said.

Dr Merrit Henry (third left), President of the Mico Old Students Association, presents a $1.5 million donation to Dr Asburn Pinnock, President of the Mico University College, for the institution’s COVID-19 Relief Fund on July 27, 2020. Looking on (from left) are Bobs Shields Miller, Burchell Duhaney, and Dr Sephlin Myers Thomas

He said students should not allow the pandemic to deter them from pursuing tertiary studies, as they need to be employable in the post-COVID era.

Pinnock added that the university has restructured its payment plans to make financing feasible for its 2,500 full-time and evening students.

He said all scholarships will be available for the upcoming academic year and urged students to exhaust all options, including Jamaica Values and Attitude Programme for Tertiary Students (JAMVAT), the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) and Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund, among others.

The association has pledged to continue fundraising efforts.

MOSA has pledged to continue fundraising efforts, up to the third week of September and Henry used the opportunity to appeal to alumni who may not be members of the association, to support the initiative.

Funds may be deposited to:

National Commercial Bank, Duke Street
The Mico Foundation #062323299

GLEANER NEWS CENTRE
Credit to original article from The Jamaica Gleaner, titled similarly, dated 27-Jul-2020.