TWO newly constructed basic schools were recently handed over to residents of the Wilson’s Run and Thompson Town communities in Trelawny.

The schools, provided by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the Sanguinetti Parent Teachers’ Association and the Wilson’s Run Community Development Committee, were built at a cost of more than $14 million.

“We at the Jamaica Social Investment Fund have long held the belief that any long-term strategies for national development must take early childhood education into consideration,” JSIF’s Board Director Marcia Edwards said.

Since the establishment of JSIF in 1996, she said, the organisation had invested more than $1.7 billion in education, noting that the bulk of this funding had gone towards the construction, expansion and equipping of basic schools as well as primary and all-age schools islandwide.

“Since inception in 1996 and up to September 2005 we approved 830 projects, 567 of which have been completed.

This reflects an approved monetary investment of nearly $4 billion,” she said. “In Trelawny, 46 projects have been implemented, showcasing an investment of over $171 million and more than half the number of projects implemented have been school projects.”

Edwards congratulated the schools on their achievements and thanked everyone who supported the projects.

Community Relations Officer at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture Region Three Maxine Headlam appealed to the members of the Thompson Town and Wilson’s Run communities to take care of the new facilities, as they were to serve future generations.

The Sanguinetti Basic School accommodates 50 students and three teachers, while the Wilson’s Run Basic has a student population of 40 and two teachers.

Both projects involved the construction of a standard Ministry of Education-approved modular two-classroom, in addition to sanitary and kitchen facilities.