IN celebration of Jamaica's 50th anniversary of Independence, the Digicel Foundation is investing over $25 million to equip 50 primary schools across Jamaica with Mobile Enrichment Carts.

In selecting the schools to receive these carts, the Foundation is therefore calling on the public to assist by visiting the Digicel Foundation's Facebook page to nominate a school in its 'Nominate 2 Educate' campaign launched on July 9.

"Jamaica is celebrating 50 years of amazing achievement, even for such a small country, and education has played a critical role in putting us where we are today. The Digicel Foundation therefore felt that this is an opportune time to make this significant investment in our education system which sends a strong message that as Jamaicans, we are equipped and ready to take on the world for another 50 years to come," notes Samantha Chantrelle, executive director of the Digicel Foundation.

'Nominate 2 Educate' criteria:

* To be eligible for a Mobile Enrichment Cart, schools must have a population of less than 300 students and have achieved less than 50 per cent mastery on the Grade Four Literacy Test over the past two years.

* Persons who are placing a nomination should list the parish in which the school is located along with and an explanation of why the school should be selected.

* Schools that have already benefited from the joint Enrichment Initiative between the Digicel Foundation and the Ministry of Education are not eligible for nomination.

The 50 schools to be awarded the 50 Mobile Enrichment Carts at the end of the campaign period will also be based on approval by the Ministry of Education and therefore will not be chosen solely on voting results. Nominations close on Friday, August 17, 2012 and recipients will be announced in September, in time for the new academic year.

The Mobile Enrichment Carts are part of the Digicel Foundation Enrichment Initiative, launched in 2009, as a joint effort between the Digicel Foundation and the Ministry of Education.

The programme was initiated with the goal of increasing literacy and numeracy at the primary level, while also striving to meet the UN Millennium Development Goal of achieving 100 per cent literacy by 2015.

To date, 58 schools islandwide have benefited from the Enrichment Initiative.