Work on Cambridge Infant School Advanced

Expansion and upgrading work on the Cambridge Infant School in South St. James is advanced, with the project scheduled for completion within the next few months.
Already, the foundation and walls have been built with windows, doors and other fixtures to be installed and the building painted.
The $6 million contract for the work was signed on July 14, 2004, but construction actually began on November 29. With a scheduled four-month time frame within which to complete the project, the scope of work included the construction of two new classrooms, bathroom facilities, a staff-room, a storeroom and the provision of furniture for the new classrooms.
The project is being financed by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), through the Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP), and involves collaboration with the Cambridge Benevolent Society.
Colleen Hayles, senior teacher at the Cambridge Infant School and secretary of the benevolent society, told JIS News that members of the Parent Teachers Association and community groups have come together to contribute 25 per cent of the cost of the project as required by JSIF. This is being done through voluntary work and other means, she stated.
With approximately 200 students on roll with seven teachers including the principal, Mrs. Hayles pointed out that there was great need for the new space, and every effort was being made to complete the work on time and within budget.
She pointed out that the community input would serve as a great motivation for the community members to take the best care of the facility when it is completed.
At the contract signing for the project last July, Operations Manager at JSIF, Omar Sweeney, had pointed out that the contract for the Cambridge Infant School was the 11th such contract signed under PRP.
PRP is a government of Jamaica programme, which provides financing for projects aimed at improving social conditions in some of the country’s most underserved communities.