Marlie Mount to have new classrooms ready for September

Assurance was given by lead contractor Ashtrom Building and Systems Limited following the commencement of work on July 6. Completion of the eight-month project is well ahead of schedule as the structures are pre-fabricated and transported to the site. 

The total value of the project is $110 million and is being funded through a US$8.94 million grant from the Caribbean Development Bank under its Basic Need Trust Fund, with state entity the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) having general oversight responsibility.

Ten of 14 classrooms along with other amenities are currently being assembled for the primary section and will be ready in time for new school year. Four additional classrooms for the infant department will be built at a later date.     

With a student population of approximately 1500, the Marlie Mount Primary and Infant has been listed for roughly six years for expansion to facilitate its transition off the two-shift system. Though the seemingly unending wait has been quiet a test of patience for the school community, the commencement of the project could not have come at a better time, argued Sophia Hall, regional director for region six in the Ministry of Education.

“One of the greatest challenges we face during this (coronavirus) pandemic as we plan for the reopening of school is that of ensuring we have quality spaces for all our children,” Hall said during a project information meeting with stakeholders last week at the school.

Member of Parliament and State Minister with responsibility for Works, Everald Warmington spoke of the bureaucratic difficulties he had to maneuver over the years to get the project up and running.

“We are very grateful to JSIF for its assistance, for one it allows Marlie Mount to come off the shift system,” Warmington said.

Project officer at JSIF, Claudia Barrett said the project carries two components: construction and maintenance, the latter consisting of a one year defect liability period after completion. 

The size of each classroom is 20x32 feet, built in accordance with the Ministry of Education standards. The new two-storey block also includes an eight-seater male and female bathroom facility with five water closets for girls and three water closets for boys along with a urinal trough, in addition to dedicated stalls for the physically disabled.

Due to the coronavirus the school will continue to operate on a shift system until normalcy is return.

As a policy, the government has been pushing to have all schools operate on single shift, which is geared towards improved learning.