$1 Billion Strategic Plan for Secondary Schools

Government will fund up to the tertiary level, the education of Veera Bhajan — the girl born without arms who obtained six O’level distinctions, Prime Minister Patrick Manning announced yesterday. Bhajan received the Humming Bird Medal (silver) only days ago. Her mother declined comment yesterday, telling Newsday that she was waiting to hear the news from the Government itself. Meanwhile, Education Minister Hazel Manning announced that Cabinet had approved a $ 1 billion strategic plan for the deshifting and conversion of secondary schools. The programme will entail the conversion of the remaining 20 junior secondary and their senior comprehensive counterpart schools, she said. The programme will be implemented on a phased basis over a three to five-year period.

She said it is anticipated that the design process for the 42 schools (including 15 junior secondary schools) will be completed by end of February 2005. Tenders for construction are expected to start in March 2005 and construction in May, she stated. Manning said the De-Shifting Report highlighted some of the shortcomings of the junior secondary school system. These included fewer classroom contact hours for the students, a large number of out of school unsupervised, and maybe unproductive hours, and very limited opportunities for the students to be engaged in positive socialisation through organised school activities. The Education Minister also announced Government will be providing financial help for Lower Six students. Manning said Government was hoping to increase the number of A’ Level students by 800, as was done last year.