THE Europeon Union and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund have signed a $29-million financing contract with administrators of Albion Basic school for the construction of a new building to house the institution.

The project, which is being funded by the Europeon Union’s Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP11), should be completed within four months. It will see the construction of three classrooms, bathroom facilities, an administrative office, a fully equipped kitchen, and a play area.

The Albion community will contribute roughly $10 million through services ranging from civil works, demolition, clearing of the work site, storage security for materials and equipment, and the provision of electricity and water for construction to the project.

On completion, the facility should comfortably accommodate 50 students, many of whom are excepted to be drawn from communities such as Albion, Canterbury, Glendevon, Hendon, and Salt Spring.

“You parents and community in general are to be congratulated for taking on this initiative. I appreciate that this project involves effort and sacrifices on your part,” said head of section for the delegation of the European Commission to Jamaica, Helen Jenkinson at the signing ceremony Thursday.

“In fact, the contribution to the project which you are making is a standard condition in the present programme for small infrastructure works like these. The purpose is to enable local communities to choose what they consider their priority and contribute to it. This should make it work as best as possible and the school will be yours in a real sense of the word,” she added.

Jenkinson also acknowledged the project’s importance to the county.

“The project is about enhancing access to better infrastructure, but the essential point here is that your children are the future of the society. It is, therefore, important that you are given the best foundation available for education,” she said.

School principal Grace Lyttle Gordon told Career & Education later that the school community is looking forward to moving into new facilities.

“Where we are now has limited space. We had to use the one room for the play area, lunch room and for teaching. So the parents, students and teachers are really looking forward to moving into the new building when the project is completed,” she said.