Fifty-one primary and infant schools are to benefit from a donation of 100 water tanks, valued over $9 million.

The 1,000-gallon black tanks, along with fittings, were provided by the United States (US) Southern Humanitarian Command Program (USSHCP), through the National Education Trust (NET).

The USSHCP’s donation is in support of the Ministry of Education and Youth’s efforts to ensure the safe operation of in-person school in light of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Speaking at the handover ceremony on Tuesday (June 28) at Jamaica College in St. Andrew, Portfolio Minister, Fayval Williams, expressed gratitude for the contribution, noting that “it will assist the Ministry to improve the general teaching and learning environment of the selected schools.”

“It will also support the Ministry’s campaign for safe operation of schools, during the face-face delivery of the curriculum,” she pointed out.

The Minister noted that the donation of the tanks also “serves to underscore the importance of the bilateral and multilateral cooperation that we have enjoyed with the United States Government and its agencies, for many decades.”

For his part, United States Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Nick Perry, said “keeping schools open, and ensuring that students have everything that they need to learn in a safe and healthy environment is critical.”

“Washing and hygiene in our schools have never been more urgent,” he stressed, adding that supporting the education and safety of children is an important mission of the USSHCP.