There are sighs of relief in St Elizabeth after the Goshen Early Childhood Institution (ECI) was moved next to the community cemetery.
Two Thursdays ago, Goshen Elementary School Principal Natalee Roper-Allen and Goshen ECI President Desmond Williams were among those lamenting the negative impact that proximity to the cemetery was having had on the school over the years.
Roper-Allen had said the gleaner that some parents had chosen to send their children outside the community.
On Thursday, workers were busy removing furniture from Goshen ECI and moving it to Goshen Elementary School, where early childhood students will now be housed.
Goshen ECI Director Elaine Bryan said registrations have already increased by 10% since resettlement activities began, but she fears that as word of the resettlement spreads in the community, space problems may arise.
“The numbers have gone up because the word has spread and there are people who are excited about it,” Bryan said. the gleaner Thursday.
“There are benefits to relocating,” she added. “First, we were located near the cemetery and a lot of people have problems with that, and also, where there are older siblings, if the little ones are on the same ground, it would be easier for the parent’s pocket in terms of carrying. They wouldn’t have to find another taxi to pick up the kids, so those are two benefits of moving.
Bryan, who has led the three-decade-old institution since 2001, said community residents have long been concerned about the school’s proximity to the cemetery.
“There are people who will never send their children there, and yet there are other families who send their children there. [Those children] grow up and send their children there,” she said.
Bryan clarifies, however, that the ultimate goal is to merge the ECI with the primary school, which would see the payment of school fees stopped.
She said such a move could also result in cost savings, as both groups of students would benefit from shared resources.
