BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS of tomorrow (Sept. 30) the Sandy Point High School (SPHS) will cease to exist under that name and will be known as the Charles E. Mills Secondary School.
A press release issued by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Osmond Petty, informed that the official renaming ceremony for the Sandy Point High School would take place at 10:00 a.m. and would be named in honour of former educator and parliamentarian Charles E. Mills.
According to the release, the ceremony would be accentuated by an address to be delivered by Prime Minister of the Federation Dr. the Hon. Denzil Llewellyn Douglas.
The Federal Cabinet announced months ago that it had taken a decision to rename the learning institution; an announcement which met with disapproval by members of the Sandy Point and surrounding communities as well as persons whose lives were impacted by the school.
In response to the Cabinet’s decision, Community-based group Sandy Pointers Inspiring Real Improvement Throughout (SPIRIT) launched a petition requesting that the government engage in processes of widespread and thorough consultation before effecting a name change of the school.
The petition, 2 000-plus names strong, was forwarded to the Minister of Constituency Empowerment and the Minister of Education, among others. It requested that the renaming of the school not be executed until the necessary processes of consultation were carried out.
On his weekly radio programme, “Ask the PM”, Dr. Douglas explained that a request was made “by several persons” to name the Sandy Point High School after the late Charles E. Mills, and after deliberation the decision was made to rename the school. Thus, he explained, consultations were conducted when renaming of the school was being considered.
Dr. Douglas suggested that the problem probably arose because persons were unaware of who Mills was and the contribution he made to the education arena in the Federation. He expressed the hope that people are not “attempting the denigrate the name, the service, the contribution, the work that Mr. Mills has put into this country by now trying to create some controversy”.
Days ago, SPIRIT indicated, via a communiqué, that the group received a response to its petition from the Minister of Education, the Hon. Nigel Carty, indicating that “no consideration be given to the matter” and that the institution would be renamed as planned.
Though still displeased with the end result, SPIRIT expressed thanks to “all those with the courage to stand up and make a call for consultation. Continue to make your voice heard in matters that threaten healthy democratic practices and matters that stand to make a significant change in the community in which you live”.
SPIRIT also recommended that Cabinet “adopt a more progressive approach in renaming community buildings and institutions, and encourage the essence of real participatory democracy and constituency empowerment that it often preaches. This can only lend to good governance”.
Members of the “general public, including parents and representatives of community groups and organisations from the villages served by the Sandy Point High School” have been extended an invitation to attend the ceremony and all are asked to be seated by 9:45 a.m.
