AFTER years of pleading by residents, the community of Yarrowkabra, on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway in Region Four, will get a primary school by year-end.

The $12 million school, to be funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), is currently being constructed by Courtney Benn Construction Services Limited (CBCSL).

Community Development Officer Derrick Boyce said the community has been in dire need of a primary school for years. “We only had a nursery school here. The primary school-aged children and their parents have had to travel to the nearest primary schools at Kuru Kuru, four miles away; or to Dora, some six miles away, on a daily basis. Sometimes (they encountered) many difficulties, especially with transportation.”

This new school building will be Y-shaped and will accommodate 300 children. It will comprise sanitary facilities, a canteen, and a staff room for teachers.

Work began on the school late in December, and it is expected to be completed by October 31 latest.

Bounded by Hararuni to the east and Madewini to the west, the village of Yarrowkabra is a two-hour drive from the city. Yarrowkabra is an Amerindian word derived from the Yarrow fish which are plentiful in the area. The village has a population of about 800, the majority of whom are of Amerindian and African descent.