Minister: Govt unable to build new school for Mt Hope students now

Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly says Government is unable to build a new school for the students of Mt Hope Secondary. In the interim, however, she says they will continue to make repairs to the existing structure so they can make it more comfortable for students and teachers.

Addressing the issue on I95FM yesterday, in the wake of a protest over conditions at the school by the PTA on Monday, the minister admitted it was one of the schools carded for a new building.

“We have done a lot of work on that school and it will continue to need work because it’s an old school. Now, the new school that has to be completed, the cost for the new school is over $200 million. The building went up, it was vandalised, and so the cost to bring that school to completion at this point, based on the latest estimate we got, which is this year, is over $200 million,” Gadsby-Dolly said.

“Currently, the Government has decided that we are not going to invest that $200 million there right now. So, we must deal with the school that the students are presently in, and we must keep fixing. I can tell you that as recently as early this year or late last year, we had to fix the railings in that school. There was an issue with the railings and ensuring that they were in proper shape for the students. So, it’s not that the school has not been getting work.

“The school continuously gets work, but it needs right now some emphasis on electricals and so on, and that is a part of what is scheduled for the school.”

She said this project is with the MTS, which will sign a contractor soon.

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