Both the Denham Town Primary School and Denham Town Infant School, located in West Kingston, have been officially renamed in honour of the late former Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for the area, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga.
They are now the Edward Seaga Primary School and Edward Seaga Infant School.
A renaming ceremony was held on Thursday (June 3) on the grounds of the schools in Kingston.
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said the schools, founded by Seaga, have been key providers of education to the community.
“Indeed Seaga played a pivotal role in the development of the newer schools,” Holness said.
The Prime Minister encouraged the administrators of the schools to make a commitment to continue to do well and elevate the standards to the highest.
“When the proposal was made to rename a school in honour of Edward Phillip George Seaga, a man whose history and legacy is that of building institutions and holding them to the highest standards, a man of order and excellence, I had some skepticism in my mind, because the institution that bears the name of the person must reflect the standards of the person,” he said.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and Member of Parliament for West Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, had put forward the proposal for the renaming of the schools, for which the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information gave approval after many discussions.
His reasoning for wanting the schools to be renamed was due to the fact that, as Mr Seaga served as Member of Parliament for West Kingston from 1962 until his retirement from active politics in 2005, he “built on that strong foundation of education in West Kingston”.
“West Kingston is a constituency that has been deeply rooted in education for many years because during the time Mr. Seaga served he focused on the opening of schools and the HEART/NSTA Trust for the advancement of youth, not only in his constituency but also the entire nation,” Mr. McKenzie, said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Fayval Williams, said she is pleased to witness a great moment in history for the students, staff and past students of Denham Town Primary and Denham Town Infant Schools.
“This renaming exercise is a significant one for the people of West Kingston, as the new name for both schools is that of a man you hold dear to your hearts,” the Minister said.
“The name Edward Seaga is synonymous with excellence as a nation builder, visionary and patriot,” she added.
The principals of both schools, Shernet Clarke Tomlinson and May Pinnock Mitchell, as well as the students, are very excited about the renaming.
Head Boy, Denham Town Primary School, Dorian Curtis, said that renaming the school feels “amazing, because of the calibre of the person.”
“Mr Seaga made a lot of schools. It’s amazing that they renamed one in his honour,” he said.
Head Girl, Camelia Howell, said “it feels good because he did a lot for the school and he built it and it was great. He united people and he gave us an opportunity in the inner city to learn”.
