New High School to be Built in Discovery Bay

Minister of Information and Development, Donald Buchanan on (Aug. 14) announced that Cabinet has approved a contract valued at $333,605,878.30 to SWC Woodwork and Construction Limited to build a high school in Discovery Bay, St. Ann.
Mr. Buchanan who was addressing the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, noted that construction of the 1, 200-student capacity school is being carried out under the School Expansion Programme.
“This is another case in which the Ministry of Education and Youth, through its school mapping exercise, has identified areas islandwide, which are in need of new schools to address the shortage of places for students at the secondary level,” the Minister explained.
The nature of the work include the construction of a reinforced concrete- framed two-storey multi-block building, with a gross floor area if 4,212 square metres, together with ancillary works.
The project is expected to commence in August 2007 and will last for approximately 16 months.
Cabinet also approved the award of a contract valued at $152,567,000 to T.Geddes Grant Distributors for the supply of commodities for the traditional and ‘Nutribun’ components of the School Feeding Programme.
The commodities to be supplied include 15,000 bags of long grain rice, 4,000 bags of counter flour, 4,000 bags of cornmeal, 2,700 cases of corned beef, 2,500 cases tinned jack mackerel, 6,000 bags of dried skimmed milk powder, 4,500 pails of vegetable oil and 600 drums of butter oil.
The Government of Jamaica in recognizing the important link between nutrition and educational performance has been involved in School Feeding programme since 1939. Under this programme, the traditional cooked lunch component is intended to meet the critical need of providing dietary support to students who are nutritionally at risk.