Malahoo Forte provides $3-m education support for constituents
ST JAMES, Jamaica — Member of Parliament for St James West Central, Marlene Malahoo Forte, is providing $3 million in assistance to students and institutions in the constituency, under her Education Support Programme.
According to Malahoo Forte, who is also the attorney general, her team is focusing on the neediest, especially those who are not on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).
“The office of the Member of Parliament is giving out over $3 million worth of assistance across a number of areas. Make good use of the assistance…” the MP told some of the recipients during a handing over ceremony at her constituency office on Wednesday.
“We have 60 applicants for tuition, but for general back- to- school, we have over 600. We are trying to assist everyone dealing with the neediest persons… I am trying my best to assist everyone whilst the genuine need is established. These are hard times.”
Malahoo Forte said she regrets not being able to host the parenting seminar this year, which forms part of the Parent Support Programme, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The only thing that is not happening this year as part of the Education Support Programme is the parenting seminar. As soon as we have an opportunity, we will resume the parenting support programme where we bring in professional facilitators such as Dr Donovan Thomas and his Choose Life International team, just to help parents to be better parents to their children. It doesn’t matter what we are going through, we don’t have to do it alone, so it is my hope that as a St James West Central constituency family we will continue to look out for each other in every way that we can to make life less difficult, even though it won’t be challenge free,” she said.
One of the recipients, Delcina Taylor, principal of the Carthegena Basic School, said that money will assist in printing materials for the students who do not have devices, as well as for the teachers who have been working without a salary because little or no school fee has been paid to the institution.
Onome Sido
