DONNETTE Swearing could not hide her emotions as she witnessed the official opening of the newly constructed Bannister New Testament Basic School building in Old Harbour, St Catherine last Thursday.

Tears of joy flowed down the face of the school principal as she joined officials from Food For the Poor (FFP) and the Early Childhood Commission to cut the ribbon signifying that the educational institution is now in its own building.

“Words cannot explain how I feel today to see that the dream has been realised,” Swearing told the Jamaica Observer.

“There were times when I felt like I would give up. We were at the point of closing down the school,” said Swearing.

For 17 years, teachers at Bannister Basic School were struggling to find a suitable location to teach students as they were forced to operate from the hall of the New Testament Church.

To add to their frustration, school officials were forced to transport furniture and teaching aids to and from the church every day to allow for services to be held.

The situation would get worse during the period when the church was under construction. The upshot was that the school was often affected by bad weather.

Last year, after the Observer highlighted the school’s plight, charity organisation Food For the Poor, with the help of other stakeholders, took on the task of constructing a school building.

Last Thursday, the newly constructed school building, housing three classrooms, a sick bay, an office area, bathrooms and a fully equipped kitchen, was finally opened.

Swearing was full of praise for the Observer and thanked in particular reporter Kimmo Matthews who wrote the first story and who has kept abreast of the school’s progress since then.

“On February 21, 2012 Mr Kimmo Matthews from the Jamaica Observer visited the school and interviewed the teachers,” Swearing said. “The story was later published in the Observer and on the Internet. Following the story, charity organisation Food For the Poor came and aided our desperate cry. Today, we stand tall, now having a place of our own. Thanks to the donors, Food For the Poor, and Mr Matthews.”

In addition to the new building, Food For the Poor has equipped the school with six computers.

Jacqueline Johnson, executive director, FFP, in declaring the school open, said the educational institution was the 17th school opened by the charity organisation in the last 14 months under its Jamaica 50 Programme.

Johnson said that under the initiative, FFP was aiming to build and/or upgrade 50 basic schools islandwide in 50 months in continued celebration of Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of Independence.

Johnson said St Margaret’s Real Success Basic was the first school to be officially opened under the FFP Jamaica 50 Programme.

“We believe this new school is a blessing, especially as it relates to improving the level of literacy in the community,” Johnson said of Bannister Basic. “I know this school is a celebration of the realisation of your dream for the children of your community.”

She also commended donors Mr and Mrs Chris Williamson of Houston, Texas, for their generous support.

Meanwhile, parents who joined in the celebration were eager to speak about the development.

“I am really happy to see this day. It has really been a journey,” said Lucille Walters, a resident and parent from the community from which the school got its name.

“Is really a good feeling,” said Janice Thomas, another parent.

Carl Gardner, a parent from the nearby community of Bullet Tree, agreed.

“This can only help towards the development of the youth in and around the community. We proud,” said Gardner.

Claudette Brown and Sharee Honeywell, two other residents from Old Harbour, concurred.

“The opening of the school has left us feeling encouraged that anything is possible from here,” said Brown.

Meanwhile, Johnson has suggested that the church and the citizens’ association collaborate in training the youth, and that the new building could be used after school hours as a skills training centre for unemployed youth.

Pointing out that youngsters, 18 years and under, comprise 30 per cent of Jamaica’s population of 2.7 million, Johnson appealed to adults to be attentive to the nation’s children, their needs and interests.

She warned that the nation would be in more serious trouble if it ignored the needs of this significant cohort of our population.

“If we truly believe in Jamaica, we will always set the right examples for our children,” said the FFP executive director.

Maxine Scarlett-Campbell, development officer at the Early Childhood Commission, also endorsed the school building project and commended the partners involved in the effort.

“Thanks to FFP who saw the need and came on board to partner with the Ministry of Education,” she said. “Many times the teachers were so tired and felt like giving up, but thanks to FFP they now have their own building, which meets the requirements of the Early Childhood Commission.”

She also reminded parents to access education for their children, as education is the vehicle for achieving success in life.