Twenty-two high school students, who are children of employees of Sandals Hotels across Jamaica, have been awarded scholarships worth an estimated $550,000.

The scholarships were made available through Sandals and Beaches Hotels, at the 12th Annual Community Scholarship Awards presentation, held at Sandals Montego Bay Hotel recently.

Each recipient of a scholarship received approximately $25,000 to assist in their academic pursuits for the new school year, which commenced on September yesterday.

Critical to Jamaica

Addressing participants at the awards ceremony, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sandals Resort International, Adam Stewart, said that education was critical to the building of Jamaica, and that Sandals was proud to be involved in programmes of assistance to students.

"We started this programme some 12 years ago and have given over $5 million to some 264 beneficiaries, because we believe that education is so important.

Sometimes you just don't realise how important what you are learning is and how much it's going to assist you in the walks of life.

It's important that you really take this business of education seriously and absorb everything as you seek to build a career for life," Mr. Stewart told the recipients.