The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, has signed an agreement with the Digicel Foundation for the renovation of the Special Education Unit at the Port Maria Primary School in St. Mary.
The $39 million project will transform an existing space into a fully functional unit with improvements to infrastructure and provision of specialised equipment and resources to support learning.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Kasan Troupe, in providing details of the project, said it will include two refurbished classrooms, a sick bay, three bathrooms, and a sensory room.
“The Ministry will see to the resourcing of the rooms and the maintenance going forward,” she said.
Dr. Troupe was addressing the signing ceremony at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle headquarters on Friday (Oct. 16).
She said that the Ministry is increasing the number of special education units across the sector, while expanding its assessment capabilities.
“We are about to formally open our assessment services and diagnostic services at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland, and we are hoping that [the facility] will respond to the needs for assessment in that side of the country,” she said.
Dr. Troupe commended Digicel for continuing to support the Ministry’s thrust to ensure inclusion and equity in the public education system.
She highlighted the importance of partnerships with the private sector to ensure that the targeted needs of special education can be served, and assured Digicel Foundation that its investment will not be taken for granted.
“We will seek to protect it, to maintain it, and to ensure that access will always be provided to our students who desire and need it most,” she pledged.
Chief Executive Officer of Digicel Foundation, Charmaine Daniels, in her remarks, said that the organisation is pleased to support the Ministry in expanding access to special education spaces.
She informed that work on the project is expected to get underway by March 2027.
Port Maria Primary School Principal, Carla Thomas-Ruddock, expressed gratitude to the Ministry and Digicel Foundation.
“They have provided the answer to a need that has been there in the school community for a very long time. Now that the project will become a reality, we are looking forward to great things and… helping our students to become world-class citizens,” she said.
School Board Chairman, Caron Bernal-Rose, for her part, said that the school community is “overwhelmingly happy to see that we are embarking on this journey and that we will be implementing this programme.”
“As we strive for excellence and inclusiveness, we are very proud to know that the Port Maria Primary School has been selected for a programme such as this,” she stated.