School repairs to continue in September

THE Ministry of Education’s $45 million School Repair and Refurbishment programme is expected to continue into the new school term in September. The ministry’s communications specialist, Mervyn Critchlow, told Newsday the programme was never intended to run only during the July/August vacation. He explained that because of the nature of the repairs/refurbishment, some being minor and others extensive, “it is an ongoing  programme which will continue in some schools during the afternoons and on weekends in the new term.” He said the nature of the repairs ranged from the replacement of doors, windows and roofs, to the upgrade of sewer and electrical systems and the installation of security equipment.

He stressed that repairs/refurbishment had already started at some of the 153 primary and secondary schools targetted under the programme. The repairs are to be carried out by the Project Management Services of the National Maintenance Training and Security Company Ltd (MTS), the National Insurance Property Development Company (Nipdec), and Petrotrin, under the overall supervision of the ministry’s Educational Facilities Management Division (EFMD). The denominational school boards are also assisting the ministry. The repair/refurbishment programme is part of the ministry’s comprehensive construction programme, which aims to “establish the physical infrastructure for the modernisation and reform of the nation’s educational system by 2006.”

In that regard, the ministry, in a release, stated there would be the technical upgrades of over 100 secondary schools, de-shifting and conversion of 18 junior secondary schools and 37 senior comprehensive schools to five and seven-year single shift schools, the construction of four new secondary schools, as well as the construction of additional blocks to nine secondary schools and the replacement of 14 primary schools. Critchlow said specific details relating to the above plans would be released by the ministry later. The ministry also said yesterday that $3.7 million is the estimated cost to provide furniture for 42  secondary schools in time for the August 30 opening.