BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FIVE sites are currently under review by a group of specialists for the construction of a brand new Basseterre High School, according to Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Shawn Richards.
Richards, who is also the Minister of Education, made this pronouncement last night (Feb. 17) during a town hall meeting at the St. George’s Anglican Church Hall in celebration of one year since the Government of National Unity was elected to office.
He was at the time responding to Carl Browne, who was enquiring how close is the Government in determining the site for constructing the brand new Basseterre High School.
“Relative to the new site for a brand new Basseterre High School, the Cabinet had put a committee in place to look at the different sites on which the school can be located. That committee is comprised of several different stakeholder groups. You have a representative from the St. Kitts Teachers Union, a representative of Basseterre High School, the PTA, you have persons from the Ministry of Education, Public Works, Sustainable Development and other departments within Government.”
He said the committee had submitted a report to the Cabinet stating that it had located a number of sites upon which the school could be constructed.
“The committee came back with a report, noting five different sites. Those sites were weighted so that they give you in order of which site they feel would be the most appropriate. However, when Cabinet looked at the report, they had some concerns about some of the sites and some specific issues to do with those sites. Coming out of that, we invited not only the committee to come to Cabinet to present its report but also experts in the areas in which we have concerns to give us some input.”
The Education Minister explained that Cabinet had asked the experts to provide a written report, within which they must first state in details the concerns and how to address them in order for the Government to choose one of the sites to commence construction.
“We expect to receive a report from that committee very shortly. After that report is received, of course Cabinet would review it, but we also intend to come to the people to consult with the people so that they also can give an input into the location of the brand new Basseterre High School,” he added.
He assured the audience that the matter is before the Cabinet and that the Team Unity Government is not going to rest until it delivers on its promise to build a brand new school.
“You would have heard on several different occasions that within the Budget for this year quite a significant sum of money has been allocated to ensure that the process gets off this year, whether it is the design for the school or clearing of the land.
“We have already budgeted money for this year to ensure that by the end of 2016 we would begin to ensure that we are well on our way to build a brand new Basseterre High School,” stressed Richards.
At this year’s Budget presentation, the Team Unity Administration had informed the nation that EC$10M was allocated for construction of the school.
Some three years ago, during the previous Administration’s tenure, students and teachers had complained of health issues at the learning institution, which resulted in them having to share classrooms with their counterparts at the Washington Archibald High School as well as occupying a few facilities within proximity of the school.
Although tests were done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CARPHA and the ILO, the Team Unity Administration determined that they (tests) were inconclusive and that the facility still posed a threat to health. Therefore, a decision was taken to construct a temporary alternative accommodation for the students and teachers.
The students and teachers are currently housed in the temporary accommodation while awaiting construction of the brand new Basseterre High School.
