A large percent of the children leaving primary schools are not functionally literate. Some of them do poorly because at some point in their educational process, they ‘lost their way’ by missing out on fundamental concepts, and never getting an opportunity to ‘catch up’ again. Hence, they struggle through the system as under-achievers, unfulfilled with low self- esteem.

 

Despite the pending danger of leaving these children unattended, the public school system, as it exists, does not cater to them. The class sizes range from 35 to 45 students, and children with ADHD and other learning difficulties cannot function in them. These children require individual attention and small group settings.

 

Sure Foundation Educational Centre which is a non-governmental, non-profit, Christian institution seeks to address the needs of as many of these children as possible, beginning with those living in the Grants Pen Community and its environs but with the vision of extending to the wider Jamaican community.

 

Sure Foundation Educational Centre , a non-profit Christian organization, under the conviction that every child has the capacity to learn and should be given the opportunity to do so, seeks to provide education for children and young people with learning difficulties in a warm and friendly atmosphere that is conducive to learning, by a trained and motivated staff.

 

 

1. To provide alternative educational opportunities for children and young people who are unable to cope in the regular school system because of learning difficulties

 

2. To bring students enrolled in the programme into spiritual awareness of themselves, their potentials, their abilities, and their responsibilities.

 

3. To prepare students to meet qualification specifications to access further educational opportunities.

 

 

As an established Christian NGO, fully accountable for its operations, Sure Foundation Educational Centre is a school that equips its students to move on to institutions of higher learning and/or take their place in society as independent productive citizens in jobs suitable to their skills and capabilities. Programs are designed to meet the special needs of all our students and are carried out at the individual level in a warm and friendly environment with qualified, encouraging, and motivating staff. Our students develop self-esteem, perseverance, self-control, respect, and responsibility, while taking active part in decision making. Our programs are maintained by adequate support from parents and other partners in education.

 

 

At Sure Foundation Educational Centre, we embrace the mantra of the Ministry of Education, Jamaica, “Every child can learn and every child must learn”. Anthony Stewart (not real name) came to Sure Foundation as a student with profound emotional disturbance, and reading four levels below his age. He had been excluded from his previous schools because of teachers’ inability to cope with his situation, and the fear of his hurting other students since he had been involved in several dangerous fights. Our school was asked to take him on trial.

 

Upon entrance, Anthony showed several signs of Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD) – disruption of classroom activities, impulsivity, inattentiveness, distractability, refusal to follow classroom rules, aggressive behavior, intimidation and bullying of other students, difficulty working in groups, and low self esteem. Our programme for him was a mixture of loving counseling, and a consistent system of rewards and consequences in addition to the regular academic activities, backed up by parental support.

Having received his first half-yearly report in July, 2014. his parents shed tears of joy, and commented that in all his school life, they were seeing a report with positive comments for the first time.