Prefab buildings for Claxton Bay Anglican

Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis speaks with Avion Alexander, principal of the Claxton Bay Senior Anglican School during a visit yesterday.   PHOTO BY VASHTI SINGH
Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis speaks with Avion Alexander, principal of the Claxton Bay Senior Anglican School during a visit yesterday. PHOTO BY VASHTI SINGH

THE Claxton Bay Junior Anglican school will be torn down and replaced by prefabricated buildings during the Christmas vacation. Students would then be able to return to classes in January 2020.

Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis gave this undertaking after touring the condemned buildings and alternative sites to house the displaced students in the interim. He is hoping financing for the project will come in Monday’s budget.

No final decision was made on accommodating the students, in spite of an earlier assurance by Francis that a solution would be found by late Friday. The team from the ministry, along with the Anglican School Board, National Parent Teachers Association (NPTA) parents and staff, looked at several sites as Francis wanted students back in the classroom from Monday.

The team viewed the Hardbargain Government Primary School, the Claxton Bay Senior Anglican School and the old Marabella South School.

A decision will be made by early next week, Francis said, as he is resolute that a shift system is a last-case scenario.

“I am not in favour of the idea of going on shift, to put schools on shift, where you are basically depriving two schools of full schooling.”

Some 166 students, comprising 11 classes from Infants to Standard Two, principal Avion Alexander and 11 teachers were displaced after the Occupational Safety and Health Agency visited on September 30 and ordered the 100-year-old building closed and demolished.

Yesterday, Francis met stakeholders at the senior school, hoping two of the classes could be accommodated there in the short-term. However, he said space may be a challenge at the senior school.

“We are discussing with parents either bussing the children to Hardbargain Government, which is a consideration, or seeing what state the old compound of Marabella South is in, if it is usable. “The parents, everybody is co-operative. Everybody understands the situation. It’s like basically a worst-case scenario, where your school is no longer fit for occupation, and we are all working together to get a good solution, so the children don’t miss out on their education.”

During the post-Cabinet news briefing on Thursday, Education Minister Anthony Garcia said the old Petrotrin sports club was considered.

Asked about that option, Francis said, “It would have been an ideal site, but seeing that we did not move on it (following a visit during the August vacation), it was given to somebody else. You know when you snooze you lose: well, we snoozed and we lost.”

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