East Portland residents get container of textbooks
Published:Saturday | September 17, 2011 | 12:00 AM
RURAL HILL, Portland:
FACED WITH economic hardships, compounded by back-to-school challenges, dozens of parents in East Portland are now breathing a sigh of relief after receiving textbooks recently.
The books, which were shipped from the United States (US), were removed from the container by volunteer residents at Rural Hill, Portland, and handed out to several basic, primary, all-age and secondary schools so as to ease the burden being faced by parents in various communities in east Portland.
Councillor for the area, Alston Hunter, said that the books could not have come at a better time, especially with the cash crunch facing parents in the parish.
"It took them by surprise," he said. "The container was packed to its capacity, and it is initiatives like these, which cause parents who are undergoing financial challenges brought about by the global recession to smile and admit that there is still some hope," he added.
The container - which was loaded with books covering language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, Spanish, dictionary, encyclopaedia, and other educational material - became a reality as a result of persistent lobbying efforts of former resident Carlene Smith, who now resides in the US, Councillor Hunter, and Jamaica Labour Party Eastern Portland caretaker Patrick Lee.
"This is just the beginning," said Lee. "It is my intention to continue this initiative, which is aimed at lifting and improving the educational standard of students, and the only way we can do that is to ensure that they are provided with the necessary reading and other academic material."
The books, which were donated by friends in the US, did not attract any real cost. However, according to Hunter, any cost attached, which was paid for by the donors, could run close to $5 million.