Savanna-la-Mar Adult Education Centre gets $4-m upgrade
ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) — The Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL) is the beneficiary of a $4-million upgrade of its Savanna-la-Mar Adult Education Centre, in Westmoreland.
This was made possible through a joint partnership between the Sugar Transformation Unit (STU) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the European Union (EU).
The three-classroom facility was officially opened on January 8, by Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites; State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Luther Buchanan, and Head of Delegation for the EU in Jamaica, Ambassador Paola Amadei.
In his address, Buchanan said the opening marks yet another significant step in the Government’s continued commitment to facilitate the social mobility of the people.
“As the Parliamentary representative for a constituency in this parish, I am only too aware of the role that education plays in the improvement of one’s life and its impact on the social mobility of the residents,” he added.
In addition to the classrooms, the project included the refurbishing of a computer lab and the installation of 11 computers and related equipment.
For his part, Executive Director of the JFLL, Worrel Hibbert, said the project is intended to support the strengthening of the social resilience, economic diversification and environmental sustainability of sugar dependent areas by enabling the JFLL to build the academic competencies of adult learners in underserved communities through its High School Diploma Equivalency (HSDE) programme for youth and adults 17 years and above.
“In Westmoreland, the areas to be served will include the Frome estates and other sugar-producing parts of the parish. The HSDE programme is designed to enable adults to enter at their level, irrespective of their educational or life history and advance themselves to becoming a high school graduate with five CSEC subjects, including English language and mathematics. This opens many lucrative choices to them, including pursuing HEART/NTA certification or tertiary degrees,” he said.
Hibbert said the JFLL/STU partnership also includes a completed project in Trelawny that saw the outfitting of a JFLL satellite Adult Educational Centre with two classrooms and a computer lab at the Clarks Town branch library. He noted that a similar project in Hanover is currently under way.
For his part, the education minister said the ministry is pleased that the Sugar Transformation Unit has implemented several programmes in the education sector.
“Commendation to the EU for its efforts to ensure that institutions for sustainable human development are built in regions such as this, and commendation too to the Ministry of Agriculture for faithfully rolling out the Sugar Transformation programme,” he said.
“This is a good example of a joined-up government. I also want to give a special commendation to the Board of JFLL for seeing this project through. This refurbished facility is to be seen by all adult learners in the surrounding community as your vehicle to personal advancement. It is your link to progress,” the minister added.
The JFLL is an agency of the Ministry of Education, charged with the execution of lifelong learning interventions for adult and youth from basic literacy to the secondary level. It operates over 27 education centres across Jamaica.
