Allman Town Primary School gets upgrade

Some 700 students at the Allman Town Primary School in East Kingston will have upgraded sanitary conveniences when they start the new school year in September.

This will be made possible from a donation of more than $500,000 from JN Fund Managers, to cover the cost for the necessary repairs and improvements, to substantially enhance the bathrooms and a drinking fountain for the students. Kandi-Lee Crooks-Smith, principal, said that the facilities would be ready for the September term.

"Currently, we do not have adequate sanitary conveniences for students. Therefore, it will require a total refurbishment of the bathrooms to end clogging and ensure that the facilities are consistently in proper working order," Crooks-Smith said.

"This support from JN Fund Managers demonstrates the private sector's commitment to assist in education. I am grateful, because it is an investment that will pay off in a healthier school environment," she added.

The primary school achieved success in introducing experimental teaching methods; and improved the performance of formerly underperforming students. However, it still faced the challenges common to other schools, with a tight budget to carry out repairs.

"The future of our country is embedded in the performance of our young people and they would need to take the lead in showing where our hearts and minds lie," said Jermaine Deans, deputy general manager at JN Fund Managers.

The investment management company, a member company of The Jamaica National Group, is already committed to serving young people through its ongoing support of the Junior Achievement programme.

"Lending assistance to an innovative institution which is making a difference where it is most needed, is a natural progression of our existing outreach," Deans added.

Terrian Fletcher, special assistant at JN Fund Managers, who attends church in the Allman Town community, pointed out that she became aware of the challenges at the school after the company participated in the "Read Across Jamaica" literacy programme in May.

"We saw the conditions at the school and realised that it was part of our corporate social responsibility to make a difference there. And, we want the students to know that companies in the wider community care about them," Fletcher declared.