Work on Six Early Childhood Institutions Completed

Construction has been completed for six buildings under the development of model learning environments component of the Enhancement of Basic Schools Project (EBSP).
These include the Yallahs, Hope Village, and DRB Basic Schools, and the St. Thomas, Manchester, and St. James Resource Centres.
As stated in a Ministry Paper tabled by Minister of Education, Andrew Holness in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 20), the schools have been outfitted with classroom furniture and equipment, including computers.
Construction, which commenced in November 2007 is in progress at the Stephen James Basic School and the Trelawny Resource Centre and are to be completed this month. Additionally, construction started in March 2008 at the St. Catherine Resource Centre in Eltham with completion scheduled for July. Building permits for all remaining schools/resource centres, with the exception of two schools, which are awaiting Cabinet approval for the award of building contracts, have been submitted to the respective parish councils for approval.
Under the institutional capacity strengthening aspect of the EBSP seven Early Childhood Education Officers were awarded fellowships to George Brown College in Canada where they successfully completed training in the use of computer technology in the delivery of the early childhood curriculum. A formal report on this training is being disseminated among early childhood practitioners island-wide.
In addition, a consultancy on the ‘National Consultation on Legal and Regulatory Framework’ which sensitized stakeholders about the contents of the Early Childhood Act and attendant regulations, was successfully undertaken.
Meanwhile, as it relates to the qualitative improvement component, some 680 Level II NCTVET certified early childhood practitioners were trained and a consultancy to audit all early childhood institutions to determine their status of readiness for registration under the Early Childhood Act, was undertaken. Island- wide furniture workshops were held to sensitize furniture manufacturers about the standards and other requirements in the sector.
The EPSP is a joint intervention by the Government of Jamaica and the Caribbean Development Bank. The project’s objective is to enhance the quality of learning and development of the birth to six age cohort through improvement in the coverage and service delivery of the early childhood programme.