JSIF to Expand Basic School in Portland

The Buff Bay Baptist Basic School in Portland is to be expanded under a contract signed on October 14, between the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and W.G. Walters Construction Company.
This expansion is expected to cost $7.9 million, and work should begin within two weeks. The project will have a duration of five months.
The contract was signed at a ceremony, held at the Buff Bay Independent Baptist Church, and was attended by representatives of several organizations in Portland and members of the Buff Bay Community.
Signing the contract were Carol Perry, Senior Manager at the JSIF; W. G. Walters of W.G. Walters Construction Company, and Member of Parliament for Western Portland, Errol Ennis.
Giving the main address, Marcia Angus, Manager of the St. Ann’s Bay Branch of the Jamaica National Building Society congratulated the Buff Bay Baptist School community and the JSIF for partnering to make the project a reality.
She described the initiative as one that will help to strengthen the process of early childhood education in the country.
Mrs. Angus emphasized that the development of the education system was the best investment the country could make, adding that the example set by members of the school community in conceptualizing the project, was one that should be emulated by other communities.
She urged the parents of students at the school to ensure that they make the best use of the education and training they were receiving, noting that a good early childhood education would set the stage for them to be successful at the higher stages of the education system.
In her remarks, Miss Perry said the JSIF was proud of its record as a consistent contributor to the education system, adding that the entity has completed 159 school projects at a cost of $664 million.