(EMU) – St. Kitts January 16th, 2013 -- Students of the Basseterre High School in forms one to four returned to school on Wednesday for the first time since the new term began on January 7.
This followed a period when they stayed at home to enable sanitation and refurbishment taking place at their school.
Students returned to the Eastern Campus on a shift basis with forms one and two attending classes from 7:30am to 12:30pm and forms three and four attending from 12:30pm to 5:00pm daily.
Following the initial sanitation related intervention, students of fifth form and teachers were already occupying the Anglican Church Hall on Victoria Road and The Methodist Church Hall on Seaton Street in order to stay on course in preparation for their examinations later this year.
Students were first asked to remain at home to allow the school to be inspected after a scare towards the end of 2012 when it was felt that the science laboratories on the Western Campus were somehow unsuitable for occupation and use.
A team from the Caribbean Research Industrial Institute (CARIRI) was called in to conduct testing of air and surface specimens to ascertain whether there was reason for health concerns.
The preliminary report revealed that excessive dust might have resulted in the discomfort being experienced by some students and staff members. The team advised that the campus should be given a thorough cleaning thus the decision to keep the school closed following the Christmas break.
The Ministry of Education put an advisory team in place including education, health and maintenance professionals as well as other stakeholders to advise on the way forward for the sanitization of the school and its re-opening.
The Western Campus of the school remains closed until it is deemed to be entirely safe. In the interim, fifth form students will use the Science labs at the Washington Archibald High School.
Teachers have been granted flexibility in their working hours given the fact that they too have family responsibilities and cannot be expected to remain on the school grounds from 7:30am to 5:00pm daily.
Teachers who have an early class are expected to be there before 7:30am but those who do not are not required to do so.
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