New day for Effortville Basic School
MAY PEN, Clarendon – Effortville Basic School is the latest early childhood institution to have received assistance from the European Union (EU) and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).
The school, located on the outskirts of May Pen, in Oliver Gardens, was refurbished at a cost of $38 million and officially reopened last week Thursday.
Among other things, the school, now considered a “state-of-the-art” facility, was outfitted with four standard-size classrooms, a covered walkway, new bathroom facilities for students and teachers, a kitchen, sick bay, drinking fountain, and a play area with perimeter fencing.
A beaming principal, Delores Campbell, described the renovation as a dream come true for her 137 students and five members of staff.
“We are proud; we are so happy that JSIF and the EU chose to do this for us,” Campbell said. “…for 48 years we have been struggling, but this has lifted the mood of the entire community and we are so overjoyed,” she added.
Ambassador Paola Amadei, EU’s head of delegation, said the community’s contribution to the project was vital.
“I appreciate and admire the fact that you persevered in your efforts to complete this school, even when your (previous) fund-raising activities did not yield enough finances to complete the project,” Amadei said.
“This involved effort and sacrifice on your part and it is truly commendable to see how determined you were to provide an appropriate and safe learning environment for your children. This project was made possible by you as much as by us at the EU and the JSIF, if not more,” she added.
General Manager of JSIF Rhonda Lumsden-Lue reaffirmed the importance of early childhood education and said the school should strive to be a change agent.
“Experts tell us that 90 per cent of all brain development occurs by the age of five. The Government of Jamaica and the European Union embrace this thinking wholeheartedly,” she said.
“The school can be a catalyst for change in central Clarendon. I know you share our view that when your child receives a solid basic school education, it sets them on a firm footing to access higher education,” Lumsden-Lue added.
