BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE historic Fort Thomas Hotel is being considered as a possible temporary home for the Basseterre High School.
This announcement was made yesterday (May 27) by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education the Hon. Shawn K. Richards at the Prime Minister’s Press Conference.
Since 2012, teachers and students of the Basseterre High School had expressed serious concerns that the environment there was somehow contaminated and making them ill.
On a number of occasions, the facility, which is located at Victoria Road, had to be closed while tests were conducted by regional health and environmental bodies. Late last year when the school was reopened, the conditions persisted and students and teachers continued to complain about health problems.
The facility was subsequently closed and the faculty and student body have since then been engaged in a shift system with the neighbouring Washington Archibald High School (WAHS).
At the Press Conference, Minister Richards agreed that while the shift system “is filling the gap”, it is not the most ideal situation.
“The shift system is there…if you speak to the students, the parents and the teachers, it’s not the most practical situation at this particular stage. And so in the interim we would want to ensure that the students and the teachers in particular, they are as comfortable as possible.”
He advised that alternatives are currently being considered, and at the heart of two alternatives is the Fort Thomas Hotel.
“I spoke with the Director of Public Worksm Mr. Cromwell Williams. I asked him to take a look at the Fort Thomas Hotel and to give an indication as to the possibility of doing some refurbishment there so that it can be used, in the interim to host the students of the Basseterre High School.
“He has since provided me with a report. That report indicates that at a minimum, we would have to spend $2.1M to make it useable for the students. That is if we are using the facilities which are currently there and doing some additional work on it.”
He said the second option would see the construction of several wooden structures on the Fort Thomas Hotel compound to the tune of $3.8M. However, the impending hurricane season would have to be taken into consideration if this second option is to be pursued.
The third option, as outlined by the Education Minister, is the use of modular buildings as classrooms. And whichever route if taken, it is expected that a temporary solution would have been implemented by the commencement of the next school year.
“We have been discussing this with the stakeholders so that persons are fully aware as to the options that we are currently pursuing. It is expected that during the course of July and August, in particular, whatever option as a Cabinet, as a government we decide to pursue, then the work would have to begin so that come September there is actually something in place.”
