Yasuhiro Atsumi (second right), ambassador, Embassy of Japan, shares lens time with (from left) Dr Michele Pinnock, regional director, Region 4, Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information; Keron King, principal of Little Bay Primary and Infant School; Hilda Hibbert, board chairman; Latoya Harris-Ghartey, executive director of National Education Trust; and Terry-Ann Thomas-Gayle, acting chief education officer in the ministry. (Photo: Rosalee Wood Condell)
March 19, 2025
No more bike taxis
Embassy of Japan, NET step in with bus donation to Little Bay Primary
LITTLE BAY, Westmoreland — Little Bay Primary and Infant School is the proud recipient of a 29-seater Toyota Coaster bus valued at $11 million. The bus was a gift from the Embassy of Japan, in collaboration with National Education Trust (NET), and will be used to shuttle students to and from school.
Keron King, principal, said the donation will be a “game changer” that will positively impact students, teachers and the community on a whole. He explained that bike taxis are the main mode of transportation for 50 per cent of the students at the institution.
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King is confident that the students’ academics and attendance will drastically improve as transportation issues often affect attendance, especially the evening homework sessions and when it rains.
“We have children from as far as Savanna-la-Mar and as far as Negril who travel to school,” King explained. “We have now set up strategic route points so access to school will be much easier.”
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Images of students without helmets and of multiple students on dangerous bike taxis were what piqued the interest of NET, which said the school was an ideal candidate for their grant programme.
“We told our partners at the Embassy of Japan that this is a priority school and they answered the call,” Latoya Harris-Ghartey, NET executive director, said.
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“The primary mode of transportation here for students is bike taxis, and that is not safe. [With this bus donation] safety is the number one benefit for students. They [will] get to school in a reliable manner, and early. What the bus is doing is providing access to education [by] ensuring that our students get here safely, ensuring that our students have the opportunity to participate in field trips. Basically, giving them an opportunity for a well-rounded education.”
King said Little Bay is the first primary school in the parish of Westmoreland to own and operate its own school bus.
The donation was funded through the Grassroots Human Security Grant Project of the Government of Japan.
“Our continued partnership with the Embassy of Japan is testament to what can be achieved through collaboration,” Harris-Ghartey stated. “NET remains committed to facilitating meaningful projects that transform lives and communities.”
