Alfred Sears and Bradley Roberts are on a mission to upgrade, renovate and repair educational facilities throughout The Bahamas. After much pressure by the public to bring government-run educational facilities up to par, the Minister of Education, Science and Technology and the Minister of Works and Utilities said the government is presently undertaking the mammoth task of bringing all schools up to the “state-of-the-art” level.
Both Ministers met in Abaco on Thursday to sign off on a contract worth roughly $700,000 for the renovation and repair of the James A Pinder primary school in Sandy Point.
Despite the fact that school only houses 70 students at this time, the Ministers said every new school to be built, or old school to be repaired by the government will become a state-of-the-art facility. They emphasised that all children, whether living in the capital or attending an all-age school on any island, will have the same resources available to them. Moreover, the Minister of Works noted that there will be no new school built in The Bahamas lacking the proper recreational or sporting facilities.
At completion, sometime during the 2007 Easter break, the primary school is expected to have two new classroom blocks, an administration block, new student restrooms, a tuck shop, covered walkways, and boundary walls, in addition to other general repairs.
“It is the government’s belief that all students have the right to quality education that is the same or roughly equivalent wherever possible. In this light, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has embarked on a programme of renewal, rebuilding and modernisation to make the environs more conducive to teaching and learning and to provide equity and access to quality education throughout The Bahamas,” said Minister Sears.
He added that the Abaco district has more than 150 teachers and a student population of (roughly) 2200 accommodated in 15 government schools, and the other 14 schools are being upgraded by “competent contractors, craftsmen and artisans from each community.” In addition, he stated, the Ministry of Works and Utilities is presently overseeing 152 school projects throughout the country.
Bradley Roberts, Minister of Works and Utilities said the government would have spent roughly $4 million after all work on Abaco schools would have been completed.
However, he explained that the government is presently in the process of changing the outlook of each school on every island in the country one school at a time.
In addition to the list of large-scale repairs being done to almost all of the government-run schools in Abaco, while on a tour to many of the educational facilities on Thursday Minister Sears said that the government is going to look at finding a way to assist the independently operated “Every Child Counts” school in Abaco, which caters to students with special needs.
According to the principal of the school Lyn Major, half of the students attending the school have reading disabilities, while other students suffer from disabilities such as autism and cerebral palsy. Moreover, she emphasised that the island has no other school for special needs children.
By: LaShonne Outten, The Nassau Guardian
