All Jamaica College Old Boys’ Association (JCOBA) chapters around the world will launch a 30-day giving campaign, dubbed ‘One College’, to raise funds in support of the school’s needs for the current 2022-2023 academic year. 

In a statement late last night (September 28), JCOBA explained that the Old Hope Road-based institution will be the primary beneficiary of the first annual 30-day giving campaign.

“The ‘One College’ initiative represents a collaboration of all JCOBA chapters and the Jamaica College Foundation and has a target funding goal of J$107 million to fulfil its mission,” the association began.

“The giving period will run through the month of October. The funds will support JC’s budget needs, which are great as the school prepares to return to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels of performance, and as it enhances support from non-traditional sources going forward,” its statement added.

Donations to ‘One College’ will address three principal areas of need academic, co-curricular, and infrastructure.

According to the JCOBA, students at the institution have achieved an 85 per cent pass rate in five or more CSEC, City and Guild subjects, including Mathematics and English annually over the past five years—an admirable improvement from the previous 58 per cent figures.

The goal is to restore academic excellence at JC and achieve a 95 per cent pass rate via three academic programmes. The first is a teacher development fund “that will support the professional and personal development of teachers to improve their instructional efforts in order to improve student learning and academic results”. What’s more, the JCOBA intends to introduce a teacher incentive programme geared at rewarding teachers for the quality of students’ performance. Finally, the third initiative is dubbed the teacher top-up programme, which will offer better compensation for JC teachers.

As Jamaica College is traditionally dominant in the Manning Cup and Olivier Shield competitions in football and ISSA Boys’ Championship in athletics, the school has set even higher expectations and is aiming for more titles.

The infrastructure projects by the JCOBA will focus on the JC infirmary, which houses the general student and staff sick bays and the JC dental auxiliary department facility.

“While it is functional, major structural improvements are required. JC also wants to introduce a sports rehabilitation department within this facility. Other infrastructure needs include STEAM lab upgrade and maintenance, repainting of the entire school, refurbishing the dormitory, installation of bathrooms for the 2nd- and 3rd-form blocks, replacing windows in 1st- and 4th-form classrooms and administration building, and refurbishing the teachers’ flats. Other potential infrastructure projects are the refurbishment and upgrades to the Karl Hendrickson Auditorium and the placement of cameras in each classroom,” the organisation explained.

Several high-ranking JCOBA officials and supporters are enthusiastic about the launch of the One College 30-Day Giving campaign.

“We are delighted to start this campaign to assist JC for the 2022-2023 season to meet the school’s goals,” said Kirk Kennedy, president of the JCOBA.

“I am excited about this campaign and the involvement of all the chapters worldwide. We saw a need for this and responded,” commented Dr Germaine Spencer.

“We look forward to helping JC achieve the goals for the 2022-2023 term in this annual giving campaign,” said Xavier Murphy, president of the JCOBA Florida chapter.

“This campaign is needed as the COVID pandemic has disrupted the great trajectory we were on,” said Carl Bennett, president of the New York chapter of the JCOBA.

“Our chapter is excited about this campaign and looks forward to providing in-kind donations during these 30 days,” said Mark Delfosse of the JCOBA in Canada.