Head of Delegation for the European Union, Ambassador Paola Amadei, has challenged Westmoreland students of the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL) to work towards furthering their studies at the tertiary level, pointing out that there are scholarships available for studies in Europe.

“The younger people and less younger people who are learning under the JFLL programme can aspire to go to university that the European Union is also funding… a programme that Minister (Ronald) Thwaites and myself are very fond of, which is the Erasmus (Mundus) Programme,” said Amadei.

“The Erasmus Programme is specifically for post-graduate studies. So, there is still some way to go before you can access, but you should start thinking from now,” she added.

Ambassador Amadei was speaking at last Friday’s official opening of the upgraded JFLL Savanna-la-Mar Adult Education Centre at Barracks Road in Westmoreland.

The project — which was undertaken by the JFLL (Ministry of Education), the Sugar Transformation Unit (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries) and the EU Delegation in Jamaica — was funded by the EU to the tune of $3.9 million. It involved the construction of three new classrooms, refurbishing of a computer lab, the installation of 11 computers and related items to facilitate internet access.

JFLL teacher, Opal Smith, expressed gratitude to the team for the new classrooms.

“They have given us the opportunity to provide our learners with spacious classrooms that are conducive to learning, and for this we are grateful,” Smith said.

“With these newly built classrooms, we will be able to effectively cater to the needs of our learners, thus enabling them to realise their full productivity and capabilities, as we make Jamaica a place to live, work and do business,” Smith added.

She explained some of the challenges learners and teachers have faced in the past, due to limited space.

“Immediately before and behind the teacher’s desk and chair was the edge of the doorway. A sudden move and the teacher would be outside, and due to the lack of space we did not have a general holding area, thus it was difficult to get information to everyone at the same time,” explained Smith, a teacher at the centre for 23 years.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Rev Ronald Thwaites had words of encouragement for the 180 learners on roll at the centre.

“You start here and gain your high school diploma. Good, good high school diploma, accepted in the United States and Canada… so if you have to come in the evening, on the weekend, if you can come full-time, whatever it is, JFLL aided by the European Union along with the Minister of Agriculture here in Savanna-la-Mar will make it possible for everybody to achieve that high school diploma,” Thwaites stated.

“Get your high school diploma here, whether it takes you six months or six years, it doesn’t matter. Go from here to the Community College. Go from here to the open university. Go from here and gain your degree, your qualification…,” Thwaites urged.