BRIDGETOWN- It’s a makeover that is transforming lives and stimulating pride in 1,200 Jamaican students. At the Christiana Moravian Primary and Infant School, there were once as many as 46 students to one teacher in some classes. Now 10 new classrooms, the renovation of two existing school buildings and student bathrooms, and new programmes and materials have not only alleviated problems of overcrowding but are also enhancing the lives of students.

The Principal credits both funds with leaving an indelible mark on the school community through socially progressive programs such as the Special Education Needs Coordinators Training Project; the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme (WASH) and the Literacy and Numeracy Project (LNP). Through LNP, the school received teaching and learning aids to support the math and language curriculum, and academic staff participated in intensive training. As a result, students’ performance in national examinations improved, the school surpassed the national average for literacy, and there has been a marked improvement in numeracy.

Knowledge gained through WASH led to the creation of an action plan intended to address sanitation and hygiene issues within the school’s environment, and it stirred creativity among staff and students. In addition to creating Squeaky, a mascot who reminds students to “WASH”, they reworked “Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica”, a popular song, with new lyrics “nuh dutty up di school yaad.” Improvements made within the school’s Special Education Unit were particularly notable, with significant increases in the numbers of special education students reaching mastery levels in literacy and numeracy.(CDB)…[+]