Holy Family Infant Department gets facelift
Published:Friday | February 5, 2016 | 5:20 PM
THE ADMINISTRATION of the Infant Department of the Holy Family Primary and Infant School in Southside, Central Kingston yesterday expressed appreciation to donors and pledged to maintain the newly renovated facilities at the institution, which were made possible through the European Union (EU) and the Government of Jamaica's poverty-reduction programme.
Approximately J$9 million was invested in the project by the EU.
Charmaine Ferguson, the school's coordinator, thanked the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the government institution responsible for implementing the programme.
"Let me thank JSIF very, very much from the bottom of my heart, from the teachers and from the students. It is as if we have a brand new school. People are even commenting on how the place looks bigger. It is amazing what a few windows can do," Ferguson said.
One hundred and forty-four students attend the institution.
The poverty-reduction programme targets vulnerable communities, with the objective of alleviating poverty and improving living conditions. It is the EU's most comprehensive programme in Jamaica that impacts communities in the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine, Clarendon, and St James.
INVESTING IN THE PEOPLE
"To summarise, we want to invest in the people of Jamaica because we know that each of you can make a difference. The EU remains Jamaica's largest development partner and, as you can see, we're committed not just to traditional projects, which impact directly on the economy, but we're into the business of people, especially children," said EU Section Head Achim Schaffert.
Education Minister Ronald Thwaites described the EU's continuous support as noble and stressed that the most crucial stage of a person's life is early-childhood education.
"Every piece of scientific information we have tells us that a good infant-school education is the best recipe for success, both intellectually and socially for your children's future. If you get an early-childhood education, the thing set for the future. You gonna do better in primary school; your children are going to do better in high school," the minister said.