Saint John’s High School is among the foremost Catholic Secondary schools in the region, and that’s why it was interesting today when the school made a significant donation to the Muslim Community Primary School. It’s part of the northside’s school’s social outreach which stretched “far-over” today. Jacqueline Godwin has more.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
Next week primary schools across the country like Sister Clara Muhammad will reopen and as expected we found the teachers and principals busily cleaning. But on Monday the students will see that additions have also been made to their classrooms. This morning, the truck load of desks and chairs were delivered to the southside primary school. And while there will not be enough for the three hundred and ninety boys and girls, the furniture will help to meet the school’s demand that was in short supply.
Abdulmajeed Nunez, Acting Principal - Sister Clara Muhammad
“The whole initiative came about because some of the teachers were complaining they were getting more students but they didn’t have enough furniture to accommodate the students.”
A meeting between the school’s management and City Councillor Philip Willoughby resulted in the kind donation made by Saint John’s College’s Charles T Hunter Commission for social outreach.
Jacqueline Godwin,
“How many desks and chairs have been donated?”
Bernaldino Pech, Director - SJC Social Outreach Programme
“This donation this morning is of 50 desks and chairs. We also as SJC has been renovating some of its furniture we felt that rather than just throwing them away, they certainly can be useful. And we have also assisted them with the renovation of their bathroom facilities so that now the children that attend this institution can look forward to more pleasing environments and the facilities so that they can concentrate on what is important at school, their academics.”
Abdulmajeed Nunez,
“This is a very young school and three fourth of the population can’t afford to pay their tuition so to maintain this school, it is very very challenging so we had to think about innovative ways to maintain this school.”
According to SJC’s Director for the Social Outreach Programme, the Charles T. Hunter Commission assists other schools and projects like the early childhood screening, a collaborative effort with Fontbonne University and the Ministry of Education through the National Resource Centre for Inclusive Education.
Bernaldino Pech,
“And what has come out of that collaborative effort is the creation of a screening instrument for three, four, and five year olds and the purpose of that instrument is to be able to identify children at those early ages who have special needs so that then these can be referred to NARCY. They were here last week and we conducted workshops for Ministry personnel from all the districts as well as pre-school teachers in the use of this instrument and the goal now is for these individuals we trained last week to go back to their respective districts and be trainers.”
And you do not have to be a school in need to receive help but any organization can submit their project proposal for assistance. Jacqueline Godwin for 7News.
The St. John’s College Hunter Commission for Social Outreach has also assisted with scholarship programmes, building projects, paper recycling programme and the Salvation Army School breakfast programme.
