THE Government has welcomed the support from Digicel Foundation in construction of Santa Cruz Special Education Centre, which opened last month

The facility, which was completed in April of this year, was constructed at a cost of $43 million and was funded by the Digicel Foundation.

The centre boasts three classrooms, an assessment room, a fully refurbished kitchen, and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. It is housed at what used to be the Santa Cruz Basic School. This institution currently has 28 students, who were relocated from the Woodlawn School of Special Education in the parish and has a capacity for 68.

It offers a transition programme for students six to 16 years old with mild to severe intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In an interview with JIS News, acting chief education officer at the Ministry of Education and Youth, Dr Kasan Troupe thanked Digicel Foundation for its partnership with the ministry in executing the initiative and others before.

“I am overjoyed by this partnership. I can speak of when the COVID-19 pandemic started and we needed help and support, Digicel Foundation was one of the first entities to come on board to ensure that our special education students got devices,” Dr Troupe said.

“Today, I can say that all our students in our inclusive schools have devices; the Digicel Foundation made that happen in partnership with the Ministry of Education,” she added.

She noted that the opening of the school was another symbol of the partnership between the ministry and the Digicel Foundation, adding that the entity was a “dream that started in 2019”.

Dr Troupe said the nation’s special education students will continue to be served through the efforts of the ministry and partners like the Digicel Foundation.

For her part, centre manager at the facility, Euphemia Kerr, lauded both the ministry and the Digicel Foundation for the work done at the centre.

“We are, indeed, grateful and happy to be here, and the children are comfortable here,” the manager said.

She added that the students and staff are particularly pleased with the newly refurbished kitchen, as there is more space in which students doing the basic food preparation programme at the school can prepare meals.

The centre was officially opened by the minister of state in the Ministry of Education and Youth Marsha Smith.

The facility will provide assessment services to students in the regular classroom who are suspected of needing special education support.

Students are supported by a principal, administrative team, classroom teachers, and caregivers, behavioural and psychosocial support practitioners, and technical vocational education and training instructors.

Students at the school will be exposed to a curriculum for children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and a modified grade seven to nine National Standards Curriculum. This curriculum covers functional literacy, functional mathematics, life skills, social studies, civics, character education, resources and technology.

To support the transitionary nature of the programme, students will engage in job-certification skills training in agricultural science, basic food preparation, craft and décor, and business basics.