Gratitude! Staff and students from the Lyssons School for Special Needs were excited to share in the handover of the newly renovated Pear Tree River campus which will serve as an extension of the school’s secondary school programme. From left are: Kaydian Woodcock-Brown, Wilmore Simpson, Merva Watson, Dwight Dawkins, Vanessa Cooper, Education Minister Hon. Fayval Williams, Althea Burke, Michelle Charles MP, Lyssons School Acting Principal Jacqueline Hendricks, Arlene Barnes, Mesheka Morgan, Meisha Clarke and Jean Lowrie-Chin, Digicel Foundation Chair.
The quiet rural community of Pear Tree River in St. Thomas was abuzz recently, when students, parents and staff members joined representatives of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MOEYI) and the Digicel Foundation for the official handover ceremony of a remodeled school for special needs. Formerly Pear Tree River Primary School, the building will accommodate 60 students aged 13 to 21, doubling the number of available spaces for Special Needs students in the parish. The school focus will be on life skills and vocational training programmes, including agriculture, cooking, sewing, carpentry, tiling, and data entry.
Pear Tree River is the second Special Needs institution to be renovated by the Digicel Foundation in St. Thomas. It will serve as a “sister school” to the Lyssons School for Special Education, which was renovated in 2018 under the Foundation’s Centres of Excellence programme. That school is now fully subscribed with 60 students enrolled. Digicel Foundation’s Special Needs partnership with the MOEYI has enabled the renovation and construction of five Special Needs Units to date.
Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Fayval Williams, in her remarks, expressed her appreciation for Digicel Foundation’s commitment: “They have just been consistent in their support for the education sector,” she noted, adding: “We welcome our partnership with Digicel Foundation. I want to implore the community here to support the school in its activities, the care of students and the property. Special commendations to the staff who worked diligently for our students.”
Chair of the Digicel Foundation Jean Lowrie-Chin said: “Our vision at the Digicel Foundation is to help create a world where no one gets left behind. Fully supported by everyone in Digicel, over the last 16 years the Digicel Foundation has completed over twelve hundred projects and helped nearly 7,000 persons in Jamaica…When we all join together as we are doing today with Minister Williams and her fine professionals at the Education Ministry, the citizenry and our Digicel Foundation team, nothing can stand in the way of the betterment of our people.”
We care! Janet Brimm (second right), Regional Director at the MOEYI for Region 2, presents a plaque to thank the Digicel Foundation as they open their fourth Special Needs school in the MOEYI’s Region 2. The plaque is presented to (from left) Charmaine Daniels, CEO, Jean Lowrie-Chin, Chairperson and Carnel Campbell, Project Construction Manager.
Charmaine Daniels, CEO of the Digicel Foundation, pointed out: “While COVID-19 remains a serious challenge, we are determined to press ahead with our commitment to Special Needs students and their families – especially those in the most remote rural areas. We have recognized the tremendous demand for quality education at the secondary level; vocational training is important for many of these students as they will soon transition into adulthood and need the necessary skills to be productive members of society. We are looking forward to seeing the students equipped with really practical tools that will enable them to go out and live independent lives.”
Digicel Foundation has ensured that the newly renovated building meets all guidelines for safety and accessibility with a new perimeter fence, paved roadway for vehicular access, wider doorways and ramps for wheelchair access, upgraded roof, electrical rewiring, and other fixtures.
The school has already begun accepting students with parameters in place for distance learning and plans being set for when the MOEYI resumes face-to-face classes.
Minister Williams concluded: “I cannot say thank you enough to Digicel Foundation, to the community, and to all who worked to make this day a possibility.”
Jamaica Highlights 