“Dean of the Faculty of Science & Technology, Prof Michael Taylor explained that BOOST is a “back-end incentivized scholarship scheme” developed to respond to the urgent need for more quality STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) teachers in Jamaica’s classrooms. This need is highlighted by the 2017-2018 World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report, which ranked Jamaica at 73rd out of 137 countries in terms of the quality of science and math education.

With the implementation of BOOST, for the next six years, a new cohort of NBCF Fellows, representing the best science and education graduates from The UWI, will be placed in high schools to teach STEM subjects. The Fellows will receive a scholarship equivalent to the cost of one year of their University tuition for each year they spend teaching in the programme, up to three years, with a further incentive payment for excellent performance. Fellows will also benefit from specially designed mentorship schemes, summer training and outreach programmes and networking opportunities.”