THE construction of new facilities at Exchange All-Age in St Ann is on track following the National Education Trust’s (NET) kick-off meeting which took place at the school on August 24.

As part of an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Youth (MoEY), the Primary and Secondary Infrastructure Project (PSIP) will equip Exchange All-Age with six newly-built classrooms, facilities to enable persons with disabilities, kitchen facilities for staff, and upgrades to the current infrastructure of the school, for the 2024/25 academic year, to the tune of over $185 million.

PSIP is part of the ongoing transformation of the education sector by the MoEY and will eliminate the need for shift systems, significantly reducing the student-to-teacher ratio and ultimately leading to improved academic outcomes and increased accessibility to superior educational resources.

Stakeholders from NET, the MoEY, Exchange All-Age and PaveCon Limited, the contractor for the construction project, were all in attendance as their respective responsibilities and expectations were discussed and clarified. The kick-off also facilitated in-depth discussions on the strategic direction of the project as well as a comprehensive understanding of the project’s objectives, scope and timelines, ensuring a unified direction for implementation.

Latoya Harris-Ghartey, executive director of the NET, said it marks the beginning of an exciting journey towards transforming education.

“The meeting served as an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas, share best practices, and discuss innovative approaches to address the challenges ahead,” Harris-Ghartey said. “It’s critical that everyone involved is on the same page to ensure a unified direction moving forward. With that said, NET is happy that all the stakeholders are in alignment and we are looking for a seamless process in the coming months.”

Ricardo Moncrieffe, principal of Exchange All-Age, says he’s eagerly anticipating the start of construction following a positive meeting.

“We are honoured to have been a part of this meeting,” said Moncrieffe.

“The ideas and information shared was quite productive and we at Exchange All-Age are pleased with the direction the project is heading. Our students and staff deserve the best facilities possible and we are excited to work together towards improving the situation we currently face.”

Following the kick-off meeting, a tour of the site where construction will take place was done, led by Todd Robinson, civil structure engineer at the NET, who will serve as project manager.

NET Limited is a registered charitable organisation and a Government of Jamaica agency that mobilises financial and quality resource investments for the education sector. NET also implements infrastructure development projects for educational institutions in Jamaica to achieve greater levels of access to education and learning.