Centre of Excellence Established at Mile Gully High

The Mile Gully High School, in Manchester, was on Tuesday (Sept.16), established as a Centre of Excellence, by the Mutual Building Societies Foundation, a partnership between Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), and Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), seeking to improve the quality education offered by rural high schools.
Speaking at a function held at the school, where the announcement was made, Chairman of the Mutual Building Societies Foundation, and Victoria Building Society, Roy Hutchinson, said the aim of the project is to strengthen the leadership of schools and empower students to learn.
“The primary objective of the programme will be to develop a platform for delivery of world class education for students in rural Jamaica. Centres of Excellence focusses on education as a major stimulant for personal empowerment, and a change agent to correct the mire of social issues that retard community and national development. As a country, we have corrected many challenges and I believe we can effectively deal with the current one in education,” he stated.
In outlining the involvement of his company, Assistant General Manager of Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), Llewelyn Bailey, said the principle of mutuality on which both societies were founded, makes it important for them to implement initiatives that positively impact the lives of their members.
“Developing a programme such as this to revolutionise the education system, is a matter of national significance, of course, transformation does not happen over night, nor can it be achieved unless schools are equipped to enable students to perform at their optimum,” he said.
“Therefore, the overarching aim of the Centres of Excellence initiative, is to provide the financial and technical assistance needed to build the capacity of upgraded high schools such as Mile Gully, and fill the gaps that impede levels of student achievement, administrative efficiency and overall school performance,” Mr. Bailey explained.
Principal of the school, Ulit Brackett, remarked that the institution, which is celebrating its tenth year, has made many strides. They have done well in the recent CXC examinations, and have received numerous awards from private and public sector entities. “The Mutual Building Societies Foundation, could not have been more correct in selecting this school as one of the first two to implement their Centres of Excellence project,” he added.
McGrath High in St. Catherine will be the next school to benefit from the Centres of Excellence project. Over the next three years both schools will receive $11 million each to boost education delivery.