Roadtown, Tortola - Officials of the Ministry and Department of Education along with the principal, teachers and new students of the Enid Scatliffe Pre-Primary School gathered yesterday in the new classrooms that will house the stage one students for an official blessing.

With excitement and joy in their eyes the staff and the officials present at the brief dedication held on to the different furnishing and fixtures around the classroom as Pastor Myron Stevens of the Christian Faith Assembly blessed the entire building and the students.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Culture Mrs. Sheila Brathwaite thanked the contractor and the staff of the school for their hard work and she urged the students to take care of their classroom.  “I hope you take care of your classroom so that when your brothers and sisters come along they too will have a nice place to get their education,” she said.

She added that the Ministry and Department of Education are committed to the well-being and education of the students.  “We want our students to be comfortable and happy as they receive their education that is why we had to make the arrangements for the construction of these classrooms,” Mrs. Brathwaite said.

 Acting Chief Education Officer Dr. Marcia Potter spoke about the challenges of placing students in schools this school year.  “This year we faced a situation that to my knowledge never happened before in education,” Dr. Potter said.  

“We had students who had to be placed but all schools were filled and we had to quickly come up with a solution which resulted in building these additional classrooms to accommodate the new students,” she explained. 

Dr. Potter added, “We have to do a lot of planning for the future and look at the expansion of schools and move ahead with that. It is going to take some financing but we hope and trust that Government will be able to find a way.”

She wished that the blessing bestowed on the new classrooms spreads through the entire school campus.

Principal of the Enid Scatliffe Pre-Primary School Mrs. Gladys Scatliffe said they were happy to accommodate the new students.  “We are happy to accommodate the new children even though it means more work and supervision.  With the staff very willing and prepared to go the extra mile to help we hope to have a productive school year,” she said. 

Each of the new classrooms has a capacity of 30 students.  The contractor was KM Construction and the Project Manager was Mr. Steve Augustine.

The ministry’s mission is to provide high quality education and rehabilitative services, as well as, to facilitate access to and participation in sports, recreation and culture, in order to enrich the lives of all residents of the Virgin Islands.