Watford Hill Primary gets new infant department
Published:Monday | April 25, 2022 | 12:05 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
AS SCHOOLS across the island gradually move back to the face-to-face phase of teaching and learning, Watford Hill Primary and Infant School in eastern Hanover is benefiting from a newly constructed infant department.
Construction of the new infant department building and its furnishing were carried out through a collaboration between the National Education Trust (NET) and three organisations based in Florida, United States – Unconditional Love for Children Inc (ULC), Southern Area Links, and the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.
Constructed at a cost of approximately $31.8 million, NET contributed $12.3 million, while the other three organisations donated $19.5 million.
Education Officer in the Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY), Region IV, Yvonne Hardie, said the addition of an infant department at Watford Hill Primary, which has approximately 90 students, will make the school better prepared to serve the children.
“Administrators at the school have been concerned, over the years, that children entering the institution at grade one were not performing at an acceptable level,” shared Hardie, while welcoming the additional space.
The Watford Hill Primary and Infant School is located in the community of Woodlands, a few kilometres from the town of Hopewell. The school accommodates students from adjoining communities such as Blackgate, Haddington, McQuarrie, Look-Out, Cacoon Castle and Sandy Bay. The new infant department facilities include two classrooms, bathrooms, an isolation room and play area.
In delivering the main address, Regional Director in the MOEY Region IV, Michelle Pinnock, expressed her appreciation.
“All of us, whether we are parents, teachers, students or community members, we must keep the education of our children as our main priority,” said Pinnock. “This is the foundation on which all other social and economic development is built.”
Highlighting 2022’s theme as the year improving early childhood education in Jamaica and bringing awareness to the importance of infancy development’ by the governor general, she noted that the new facilities fit that purpose.
“This means that we have an opportunity to highlight and bring greater awareness to the tremendous efforts being made by the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), to enable every child to have the best chance to flourish in life, regardless of their family background or resources,” Pinnock explained.
Continuing, she pointed out that based on criteria set by the ECC, there are set standards that all early-childhood facilities must meet to be registered and certified, adding that she is sure that by the end of April, Watford Hill Primary and Infant School will receive its full certification and registration documentation.
“Every child has a right to an education, and we must ensure that we do all in our power to reinforce the idea that education matters,” she emphasised.
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for Eastern Hanover Dave Brown argued that ensuring children get the right start in education is pivotal to success.
“A strong educational foundation ensures a child’s readiness and easier access to educational content, while providing that child with the tools to help him or her make sense of their environment,” he stated.
Brown said he is looking forward to similar initiatives across the constituency, where more primary schools will offer preschool curriculum through an attached infant department.