MONTEGO BAY, St James –

Within the next two months the more than 60 students attending the One Way Tabernacle Basic School in the inner-city community of Bottom Pen, Glendevon and the nearby Flower Hill Basic School are expected to relocate to two new concrete structures currently being constructed by Digicel Foundation at a cost of $20 million.

“As long as the projects are supported by the communities and they will ensure that the projects have sustainability, we will get involved with them,” said Harry Smith, the foundation’s chairman during a tour of the construction sites yesterday.

Since its inception in 2004, the foundation has played a lead role in the construction and renovation of many educational institutions and youth clubs across the island, many of which are located in the western region.

“Digicel Foundation remains committed to the development of Western Jamaica and in the entire island. We take delight in partnering with residents helping to enhance the physical infrastructure of institutions and communities that assist in the physical, intellectual and social development of the nation,” said major Robert Neish, executive director of the foundation.

The One Way Tabernacle Basic School provides much-needed Early Childhood Education and adult evening classes for residents in the volatile Bottom Pen community and surrounding areas.

However, the school which is currently being housed in the One Way Tabernacle Church is said to be not conducive for learning and social interaction as rearrangements to the church’s setting have to be done every evening to accommodate classrooms the next day.

The foundation, which was approached earlier this year, decided to fund and equip a new structure to house the more than 25 students, at a cost of $11 million.

The project which involved the construction of four classrooms, a sick bay, principal’s office, furniture and a play area for students is expected to be completed next month. On completion it will be able to accommodate 75 students between the ages of two and seven.

Meanwhile, Smith told the Observer West that construction on the new Flower Hill Basic School which began five months ago, is expected to be completed during the first week of October.

Furniture for that institution is expected to be provided by Food For the Poor, one of the country’s leading charities.

Yesterday, Naomi Campbell, a teacher at the Flower Hill Basic School for more than four years could hardly contain her joy on hearing that the building was 90 per cent complete.

“I so happy that the school will be finished soon. We have been waiting on this for a long time so I am really happy that our dream will soon become a reality,” Campbell said.