STUDENTS at Franklyn Town Primary School in Kingston began the 2022/23 academic year on September 5 in a newly painted school building.

The facelift was carried out through the Embassy of the Dominican Republic’s ‘Dom Rep School Adoption Programme’.

This project allows the embassy to develop a year-long curriculum and teach students the Spanish language and culture of the Dominican Republic.

The school is the first adopted by the embassy during the 2021/22 academic year and was officially handed over during a ceremony held on Monday, September 5.

A mural — signifying the friendship between Jamaica and the Dominican Republic as well as similarities between the two cultures — was also unveiled during the ceremony.

Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams, in her remarks, lauded the facelift as supportive of the needs of the school.

“Our commitment at the ministry is to respond as best as we can, within our budget, to the needs of our schools, and so we’re always happy and grateful for the sponsors who come on to lend their support, time [and] effort to bring things into the school,” she said.

For her part, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Jamaica Angie Martinez, said “there is nothing more rewarding in life than working [in] education”.

“Every painted wall fills my heart with joy. I am sure that today [the students] feel very proud of their campus and that they feel all the love of the Dominican Republic,” she opined.

Principal of the school, Rohan Treleven, said the programme has given the school, the community, staff and students a “positive outlook” for the new term.

“We feel better and we feel good. The school looks almost new,” he said.

Some of the sponsors who assisted with the facelift include Newport-Fersan Jamaica Limited, IMCA Jamaica, Pepsi-Cola (Jamaica) Bottling Company Limited and Sygnus Group, among others.

— JIS