Portland Nursery and Primary School

portland_kids

In 2012, after witnessing the success of the Rural Girl Child Mentorship program, the people of Amor Village came together and founded the Portland Nursery and Primary School to provide an education to their young children without the need for them to walk miles to the nearest school or live away from their families.

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Include the note “Portland Scholarship Fund” when donating any amount to support the students with the greatest need

At the beginning, the school’s five classes were held in two huts and under a mango tree. When Maarten Bastiaansen from Holland visited the community in 2014, he saw the need to build a schoolhouse and began raising funds. Today, the school has a six-classroom block with office and is beginning work on a new seven-classroom block. Maarten is currently supporting the construction and general administration of the school, and is working continually to improve access to education for the children of the Amor community. Working with Beatrice and the PCE Foundation team, they would like to create a school complex in Amor village (Nursery, Primary, Secondary and a vocational school) which will not only meet the educational demands of some of the most vulnerable children in the world but also give them practical and creative skills needed and to create for them employment opportunities.

Most of the students are orphans and vulnerable children who have lost one or both parents to HIV. We anticipate that many more will be enrolled in term two (April-May). We will have a total of nine classes, from baby class up to Primary Six. We will also need to hire seven more teachers.

Mission

Portland Nursery and Primary School – Amor aims to serve the community by providing a quality education to all our pupils. Our goal is to educate our children by providing a range of opportunities in a rich and balanced curriculum that allows each individual to develop physically, intellectually, personally, emotionally, socially and morally.

Objectives

  • To provide a safe, secure, happy, practical and stimulating environment and appropriate play and learning experiences for the academic and personal development of each child.
  • To equip children with skills, knowledge and attitudes which will help them to take their place in a rapidly changing society. To develop the many skills of communication with great emphasis in literacy and numeracy, and to encourage high standards of achievement.
  • To foster a spirit of enquiry and an individual appreciation of the environment.
  • To promote good standards of behavior through the adoption of shared values and attitudes in school and in the wider community and to encourage children to respond to and appreciate the needs and values of other individuals and cultures.
  • To ensure the all-round physical development of each child allowing for individual interest and ability in a setting which actively promotes the health and welfare of all.

Curriculum

The school follows the National Curriculum for Nursery and Primary schools. They are using the Early Childhood Development (ECD) and the Primary School Curricula in teaching students from 3 to 11 years old.