PM Opens Renovated Basic School and Community Centre in Clarendon

Residents of Silent Hill, Clarendon, are welcoming renovation of the district’s basic school and community centre, at a combined cost of $37.9 million.

A total of 66 students and three teachers will benefit from the newly refurbished facilities at the Walders Run Early Childhood Institution, while the renovated Silent Hill Multi-Purpose Sports Complex will serve residents from more than five communities in North West Clarendon.

Both facilities were officially opened on Wednesday, August 27, by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller.

She informed that the early childhood institution, which was renovated by the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports, and Education (CHASE) Fund at a cost of $25.7 million, now meets all the requirements of the Early Childhood Commission.

Improvements to the institution included three new classrooms, a furnished kitchen with appliances, perimeter fencing, sanitary facilities, sick bay, an administrative block, computer room with six brand new computers, and a play area, with outdoor play equipment.

Mrs. Simpson Miller reiterated her administration’s commitment to making early childhood education a priority area for policy action and funding.

“By increasing access to education for our children and improving the standard of our educational facilities, we’re making a significant investment in the future of our nation,” she stated.

The Prime Minister also urged the residents to own, protect, and preserve the school. “Our schools can’t do well unless the entire community becomes involved in looking out for the interest of the school and the children they serve,” she said.

The multi-purpose sports complex, which was renovated at a cost of $12.2 million by the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), will serve residents from Silent Hill, Long Fearon, Morrison Hill, Alston, and Moravia.

Mrs. Simpson Miller urged the residents to take care of the facility, noting that it may be the home of Jamaica’s next generation of world class athletes. She noted that the  SDF will continue to work towards ensuring that “our country remains a sports super power.”

Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing and Member of Parliament for North West Clarendon, Hon. Richard Azan, expressed gratitude to the CHASE Fund and SDF for the work done on the facilities.

Project Manager, CHASE Fund, Paulette Mitchell, informed that there are plans to expand the facility with the addition of a second floor to be used as the cultural community centre for Silent Hill.

“CHASE has already approved $15 million of the $18.7 million that is required for construction,” she said, noting that the balance will come from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Ms. Mitchell informed that 25 per cent of the agency’s financial resources are allocated to early childhood education, resulting in more than $2.8 billion being spent on projects in the sector over the last 10 years.

“The Fund has built 44 basic schools and renovated 463. Seventy-six of these basic school projects are located right here in Clarendon and this is the third largest concentration of early childhood institutions, where there are some 254,” she noted.

President of the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA), Simone Reid-Gordon, said the refurbished facilities “are a great blessing” to the community and its residents.

“We are very grateful for these facilities and I believe they will go a far way in improving our lives and the lives of our children,” she stated.