THE SERGEANT MICHAEL BERRY SCHOLARSHIP: PROMOTING LITERACY AND CRITICAL THINKING
For more than two decades, Sergeant Michael Berry, a police officer assigned to the May Pen Police Station, has been on a mission to empower students by encouraging reading and critical thinking through his Literature Scholarship Programme.
“Literature is a type of subject that requires [people] to read and think. What I realise is that a lot of our children are not doing much reading. So, when I find a student who is interested in reading, that’s how they will get the contribution,” said Sergeant Berry as he explained the motivation behind his scholarship programme.
Sgt Berry’s efforts to support young people through education began long before the scholarship was formalised in 2014. The initiative can be traced back to 1998, when he assisted a child, he encountered while on an operation in the Kingston East Policing Division who needed help with back-to-school supplies.
“The child needed some books, and I offered to provide the books for that child,” said Berry.
Since then, more than 25 students have benefited from the initiative. Through partnerships with several schools across the parishes of Clarendon and St Catherine, Berry has been able to identify and select students who demonstrate an interest in literature and a commitment to their education. Students are selected based on their aptitude for the literary arts and their interest in reading. According to Berry, administrators at the partner schools identify and recommend prospective scholarship recipients.
For Berry, the initiative is more than providing financial assistance. He says it gives him a sense of “fulfilment” to know that he has contributed to a child’s educational journey. He recalled receiving a testimonial from a parent while he was assigned to the Exeter Police Station in Clarendon some years ago. The parent told him that her child, a scholarship recipient, had gone on to university to pursue further studies. For Berry, such outcomes represent the true purpose of the initiative.
This back-to-school season, the Michael Berry Scholarship was extended to five students, providing much-needed assistance as they prepared for the new academic year. Three of the recipients were Primary Exit Profile (PEP) graduates from Beulah All-Age & Infant, Woodhall Primary & Junior High, and Guanaboa Vale Primary schools, while the remaining two were selected from Glenmuir and Edwin Allen high schools.
“I know that the cost of books and other school supplies can be a burden on parents, especially with prices going up. So, if I can help to ease some of that burden and give the students what they need to start the school year, then I am happy to do that,” said Sgt Berry.
As Sergeant Berry continues his work to help shape the minds and futures of Jamaica’s young people, he has one hope for past, present and future recipients of his scholarship: “Do well in your endeavours and try to help persons as best as possible.”
