THE 55 students enrolled at Halker's Hall Basic School in St Catherine will no longer be forced to cram inside an old, hot classroom space with inadequate furniture, thanks to assistance they have received from Food For The Poor Jamaica and the Levitetz Family Foundation.
A new building and new furniture have been donated to the school.
Principal Donna Gordon said she was extremely happy for the new school, because with an entirely new structure, she and her staff will be able to execute their duties more comfortably.
"I feel good, to say the least. I am so elated and overjoyed. Prior to Food For The Poor and the Levitetz Family Foundation's assistance, assessment reports from the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) indicated that almost every area needed improvement," she said.
"Thanks to our donors we now have everything in place and are anticipating good results from the ECC from our next assessment."
She said she was extremely thankful for the furniture and new computers they also received.
"We are very appreciative for the furniture, playground equipment and computers. We never had computers at this school before, so this is a significant improvement that will benefit both teachers and students," Gordon said.
She said the structure they had before was just one big open room without proper partitions.
"It was a hall parted with chalkboards for each class. Whenever classes were in session, it was very chaotic as both students and teachers were competing in that process. As a result, things became really confusing and made the teaching and learning environment almost impossible to handle," she said.
"We had no play equipment and the furniture was not children-friendly. Rodents and insects could also find their way easily in the kitchen which was not attached to the school building. Therefore, when there was bad weather, we had to walk in the rain to and from the kitchen."
With the new school, David Mair, executive director, Food For The Poor Jamaica, said Gordon, her teachers and students will not suffer as they did before, as the school had a solid structure and roof.
He also gave thanks to the Levitetz Family Foundation based in the United States of America, for choosing Jamaica to invest in.
"None of this would have been possible without our faithful donors, and so I extend heartfelt thanks to the Levitetz Family Foundation and their partners and friends who have contributed significantly to the education of Jamaica's children. This is the third basic school that the foundation has sponsored under the Jamaica 50 campaign, which seeks to build and upgrade 50 basic schools in 50 months since June 2012," Mair said.
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