Eight schools across Kingston and St. Andrew will be outfitted with hydration stations as part of the Hydrate Caribbean Jamaica: Healthy Students, Healthy Futures initiative.
The project aims to increase students’ water consumption, reduce dependence on sugary beverages, and foster healthier lifestyle choices while promoting sustainable habits through the use of reusable water bottles.
Beneficiary schools include Tarrant High, Clan Carthy High, Kingston Technical High, Pembroke Hall High, Edith Dalton James High, Oberlin High, Papine High, and Mavis Bank High.
The National Education Trust (NET) is partnering with Newport Water Limited, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Diabetes Association of Jamaica to facilitate implementation of the project, which is scheduled to begin in July.
Addressing Thursday’s (June 25) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony at Clan Carthy High School in Kingston, Deputy Chief Education Officer for Curriculum and Support Services in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Winnie Berry, noted that discussions about education often focus on curriculum reform, teaching quality, student performance, and assessment outcomes.
“These are important areas of focus. However, learning does not take place in isolation from the broader conditions that affect our students on a daily basis. A student’s ability to participate, concentrate and engage meaningfully in the classroom is influenced by a wide range of factors, including health and well-being,” she said.
Dr. Berry emphasised that ongoing research consistently indicates how hydration supports concentration, attention, and overall cognitive functioning.
She further explained that when students are unable to stay adequately hydrated throughout the school day, their ability to fully participate in learning activities may be compromised.
“The initiative is further strengthened by an educational component that encourages healthy lifestyle practices and increased awareness of personal health and wellness. While the act of accessing clean drinking water may appear simple, the cumulative effect of creating healthier school environments should not be underestimated,” Dr. Berry said.
She urged the students at the beneficiary schools to take full advantage of the hydration facilities provided.
“Pay close attention to the health messages that accompany this initiative. Developing positive habits at an early stage can have lasting benefits throughout your educational journey and beyond,” Dr. Berry underscored.
Newport Water Limited Project Lead, Sheridan Greaves, explained that the initiative originated in Barbados.
“Since 2020, this programme has accumulated 5.1 million bottle fills in Barbados. These are not bottles that had to be recycled and collected. These were bottles… that didn’t end up in our landfills… didn’t end up in our oceans and gullies,” he explained.
Mr. Greaves said he is anticipating the positive impact the initiative will have across the eight beneficiary schools and throughout Jamaica, as the entity pursues corporate sponsorship to support its expansion.
“I would like to thank the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their significant contribution to Hydrate Caribbean. They took the extra step to provide funding, not only for the stations themselves, but for stainless steel reusable water bottles for each and every single student at these eight schools, as well as 13 schools back home in Barbados,” Mr. Greaves disclosed.
Meanwhile, Senior Vice Principal at Clan Carthy High School, Laurel James, said the institution is deeply grateful to be selected as one of the pilot sites for the project.
“It is a commitment to the long-term well-being of our students. By providing accessible, purified drinking water, you are actively supporting our health, improving our daily concentration and encouraging habits that will last us a lifetime,” Mr. James said.
He encouraged students to make the conscious choice to drink water, stay hydrated, and care for the station that has been generously provided to their school.
