West End Infant Graduates First Batch of Students

Ten months after its official opening, the West End Infant School in Westmoreland graduated its first batch of 27 students on Thursday (July 5).

Addressing the ceremony, held on the grounds of the institution in West End Negril, Chairman of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), Trisha Williams-Singh, hailed the school administration for the “tremendous work” done in upholding the standards of the ECC.

She noted that West End Infant has the honour of being the first early-childhood institution in Westmoreland to be certified after being in operation for just one term.

“You are a certified institution; that’s optimum quality for our children. You feel the difference in an institution like this one compared to others, because [you] have attained the 12 legal operating standards. This institution is among only 15 that are certified in the parish of Westmoreland,” she said.

Mrs. Williams-Singh is encouraging the other institutions within the parish to take the necessary steps to becoming certified.

Of the 163 early-childhood institutions operating in Westmoreland, 134 have applied for certification.

For her part, Principal of the institution, Sherida Malcolm, expressed her gratitude to the parents, staff and funders for their continuous contribution towards the development of the school.

West End Infant opened its doors on September 4, 2017 with 46 students, with the numbers growing throughout the year to reach 80.

The school was built at a cost of $111 million through partnership involving the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information; Sandals Foundation; and the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund.

It can accommodate 160 students aged three to six years.

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