BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HEALTH MINISTER Hon. Marcella Liburd was appointed Acting Minister of Education in the absence of Sen. Hon. Nigel Carty who is currently out of office for medical reasons.
In that capacity, Minister Liburd has so far been working closely with all stakeholders to organise alternative venues for the relocation of the staff and students of the Basseterre High School (BHS).
A shift system with the Washington Archibald High School (WAHS) has been proposed and this morning (May 1) President of the St. Kitts Teachers Union, Ron Collins appealed to the stakeholders of that school to assist the BHS in its time of need.
He made the plea on WINN FM's Breakfast Show where he asked the members of WAHS to make the small sacrifice so that the students of BHS could be able to complete the school year and write their exam, which is set to take place in a few weeks' time.
WINN FM also reported that, at a meeting with BHS stakeholders on Wednesday (Apr. 30), other alternatives were given with regards to an offer made by Advanced Vocational Education Center (AVEC) to lease a number of its classrooms or give up that school entirely to accommodate the BHS.
However, the BHS stakeholders leaned strongly on the shift system.
Another alternative previously spoken of was the incorporating of BHS’ students into different high schools around the island, but this did not sit well with the stakeholders.
The BHS was closed on Monday (Apr. 28) following a pretesting visit by the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) which had raised concerns about the overall safety of the learning institution.
Meanwhile, Minister Liburd stated that another research institute, Caribbean Epidemiological Center (CAREC), was invited to the Federation to conduct tests at the school, adding that the safety and health of the staff and students is of priority.
“We have already invited a leading epidemiological research institute to come to St. Kitts for further testing as a matter of urgency. I am sure that if we all work together we can ensure that we protect the health and safety of our students, teachers and support staff and ensure that they are not inconvenienced further at such an important time."
This issue affecting the BHS is one that has been viral since November 2012 when teachers took industrial action after concerns raised about the school's safety were not being taken seriously.
Complaints of skin irritations, dizziness, nausea and respiratory problems, among others, were made.
Since then, much attention was given to the matter with the laboratories believed to have been the center of the contamination issue. However, suggestions were that the issue originated from septic tanks that were not properly maintained.
The issue appeared to have been rectified in early 2013, and all seemed well until the problem arose again late last year when complaints of similar health issues were made.
While measures are being taken to rectify the BHS issue, the public is still asking for the root cause of the problem to be identified.
