BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS the St. Kitts Teachers’ Union (SKTU) inches closer to constructing its headquarters, it has recently announced that the sod will soon be turned signaling the commencement of the construction process.
SKNVibes understands that the Union acquired a piece of land and the ground breaking is expected to take place during the observance of Teachers’ Week 2011 which will be held from October 1 – 8.
The Union’s president, Bishop Ron Collins, has explained that currently, the organisation’s secretariat operates from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s compound. However, the hope is that a facility would soon be constructed which would be the official home of the SKTU while catering to the needs of the union’s 500 plus members.
“From since November of last year, the St. Kitts Teachers’ Union reopened its office after a few years of it being closed and we are now housed at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and so we have our secretariat. We have employed an administrative assistant. But our dreams have always been to have our own headquarters that will facilitate the training of our teachers, will provide an opportunity for education research, social interaction and so on; a home for the Teachers’ Union.”
President Collins said the plot of land is approximately 12000 sq ft in size and is located in the Lime Kiln area. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for October 7 and according to Collins, the architectural design for the building will be presented to the public at that time.
The SKTU has intentions of beginning the construction process, “as soon as possible. We are members of the Caribbean Union of Teachers of Education International (which) has millions of teachers and we are seeking support locally, regionally and internationally. But our passion is to ensure that the headquarters is completed…”
The executive which Collins heads, was recently installed and has a two-year mandate. According to President Collins, it would be ideal if construction of the SKTU’s headquarters could be completed before the expiration of the executive’s term of service in 2013.
