[UPDATED] Chief Sec: Government to fund new Scarborough Secondary School

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine says central government has agreed to fund the construction of the new Scarborough Secondary School.

He was delivering the feature address at a sod-turning ceremony for the school at Bacolet Park, Scarborough, on Friday.

The existing Scarborough Secondary, at Old Government Farm Road, Shaw Park, has been plagued by infrastructural challenges for many years, most of which were triggered by land erosion.

Students as well as members of the school’s parent-teacher and alumni associations have protested several times, calling on the THA to build a new school.

Augustine added, “We estimate that the construction of the school will cost the people of Tobago and by extension the people of Trinidad and Tobago, the taxpayers of this country, quite a tidy sum, a huge sum.”

Pressed further on an estimate during an interview with reporters after the function, he said, “I can’t give that figure, because this is going out to tender at the end of January. The engineers, and whomever is in procurement, they will come up with their internal estimates.

“I am not in that process. Fortunately, I am happy I am not in that process and the Lord has not allowed me to be in that process.

"So I think perhaps when the tender is closed then at that time, I think, they will announce what the estimated cost will be.”

Earlier, in his address, Augustine said to date, the THA has received about $800,000 from central government for school repairs and an estimated $1 million for a new school.

“Of course, $1 million cannot build a school of that size and to accommodate a population of that size. However, we have had constant conversations with the Minister of Finance (Colm Imbert), who has given us an undertaking time and time again in our meetings with him that central government is committed to funding this project.

“And so we look forward to that collaboration. We look forward to getting this done. We look forward to getting our students into a safer environment, a safer home.”

Augustine told the audience, which included Scarborough Secondary students and members of its alumni association, that the school will be in a very enviable location.

“The THA has owned this piece of land for a while. It is just over 27 acres of land. However, the school will occupy a gross area of 16,840 square metres, the internal area being 10, 909 square metres.”

The new school, he said, will have an administrative block, computer and IT rooms, a multi-media centre, pan theatre, and an audio-visual room, among other offerings.

“But the real value for dollar goes beyond a spanking new school that looks nice, with the best technology inside. The real value for money must be the performance of our students in the classroom.”

Secretary of Education, Research and Technology Zorisha Hackett, in her address, said the school will cater to the dynamic technological needs of the island.

“Our decision to embark on this transformative journey is rooted in the acknowledgement of the challenges faced by the existing infrastructure down there at Old Government Farm Road Extension…a structure weathered by time, a growing population, erosion and an intricate geographical and technological issues we now have there and those complexities.”

Hackett said the new school will not just be a structure but a symbol of a collective investment in Tobago’s future.

“As we stand on the precipice of progress, let us extend our gaze beyond the walls of academia to the heart of Tobago. This smart school embodies all our collective vision for a vibrant and prosperous community, one that wholeheartedly recognises the transformative power of education.”

She said the division is mindful of the challenges faced by small island developing states, “But it is through strategic investments such as this one that we fortify our foundation and significantly contribute to the (UN) sustainable development goal number four – quality education.”

This goal, Hackett said, promotes inclusive, quality education for all.

The division’s administrator Diane Baker-Henry also spoke.

This story was originally published with the title Chief Sec: Government to fund new Scarborough Secondary School. See original post below.

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine says central government has agreed to fund the construction of the new Scarborough Secondary School.

He was delivering the feature address at a sod-turning ceremony for the school at Bacolet Park, Scarborough, on Friday.

The existing Scarborough Secondary, at Old Government Farm Road, Shaw Park, has been plagued by infrastructural challenges for many years, most of which were triggered by land erosion.

Students as well as members of the school’s parent-teacher and alumni associations have protested several times, calling on the THA to build a new school.

Augustine added, “We estimate that the construction of the school will cost the people of Tobago and by extension the people of Trinidad and Tobago, the taxpayers of this country, quite a tidy sum, a huge sum.”

Pressed further on an estimate during an interview with reporters after the function, he said, “I can’t give that figure, because this is going out to tender at the end of January. The engineers, and whomever is in procurement, they will come up with their internal estimates.

“I am not in that process. Fortunately, I am happy I am not in that process and the Lord has not allowed me to be in that process.

"So I think perhaps when the tender is closed then at that time, I think, they will announce what the estimated cost will be.”

Earlier, in his address, Augustine said to date, the THA has received about $800,000 from central government for school repairs and an estimated $1 million for a new school.

“Of course, $1 million cannot build a school of that size and to accommodate a population of that size. However, we have had constant conversations with the Minister of Finance (Colm Imbert), who has given us an undertaking time and time again in our meetings with him that central government is committed to funding this project.

“And so we look forward to that collaboration. We look forward to getting this done. We look forward to getting our students in to a safer environment, a safer home.”