THE NCB Foundation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Old Harbour High School signalling an intention to explore a structured, multi-year collaboration focused on student development and institutional strengthening.

The recently signed agreement falls under the foundation’s Stuart Reid Adopt-a-School Programme, which was launched in 2021 to support sustained engagement with schools across Jamaica, subject to agreed priorities, defined needs, and pledged resources.

In a media release the foundation said it was a school visit that set everything in motion.

According to the release, NCB Financial Group Limited Chairman Michael Lee-Chin and his executive team arrived on campus expecting the ordinary but what he experienced changed his mind entirely.

“What I expected to see was the regular high school disorder, but instead I saw discipline and a commitment to higher standards,” Lee-Chin reflected.

“Stepping back, I felt that this is a model school that every single school in Jamaica should emulate. That is what inspired us to approach the leadership of Old Harbour High School to form a partnership to be consummated though this MOU,” added Lee-Chin.

Led by Principal Lynton Weir, Old Harbour High School has built a reputation for discipline and early academic performance, with students sitting key examinations from as early as Grade 8. The school has also created development opportunities for ancillary staff, including access to evening classes and certification through CSEC subjects.

Weir welcomed the MOU and pointed to its potential to support the school’s long-term development plans.

“We have worked hard to build something worth investing in. This partnership creates an opportunity to work collaboratively in ways that can further strengthen student outcomes and institutional performance, thereby helping to shape the future of Jamaica,” Weir stated.

Under the terms of the MOU, NCB Foundation and Old Harbour High School plan to work collaboratively to identify priority areas for possible support, which may include infrastructure enhancement, financial literacy and student development initiatives, as well as scholarships and internship pathways for students subject to assessment, mutual agreement and fulfilment of programme requirements.

“Our approach is always to partner with institutions that are already actively working,” said Thalia Lyn, chair of the NCB Foundation.

“Any support provided is grounded in shared objectives, accountability, demonstrated readiness and an ability to getting things done,” added Lyn.

To date, the NCB Foundation has invested more than $2 billion in education and community development initiatives across Jamaica.

The Adopt-a-School Programme was named in honour of the late Stuart Reid, a former NCB Foundation board director who was instrumental in its development.