What’s new at Fitz Hughes Government School?

by Grace Francis

After sharing a small space for over a year, children and teachers at the Fitz Hughes Early Childhood Centre went into brand new premises at the start of the new school year on Monday, September 1, 2025.

Last Friday, August, 29, 2025, the upgraded premises which caters for primary school students, as well as pre-primary children in a separate building on the same compound was opened in an official ceremony.

The $3 million facility is seen by a resident as a remarkable investment in foundational education for the North Leeward Community.

The school was temporarily closed due to renovations that targeted the modernization of its infrastructure. Three new classrooms have been added, as well as a parking lot for visitors and teachers, a gazebo where students can have their lunch comfortably, a small playground, and a refurbished hard court. Added to that, there is now the Early Childhood Development Centre for children aged 3 to 4 years housed for the first time in a separate building.

Supervisor of the childhood centre Jozelle Adams, told SEARCHLIGHT, “It has two classrooms, the supervisor’s office, a sick bay, staff bathroom with bath and shower, kitchen facility, and a ramp for the disabled children to enter the building and also [handrails] in another bathroom”.

During the renovations, students were relocated to the Golden Grove Learning Resource Centre. Principal, Myrtle Richards, who has led the school through the transformation explained the difficulties faced during the relocation.

“We were cramped for space and hot at the Golden Grove Centre and we wish we had gotten some help to relocate, but we are happy to be back in a more conducive environment.”

Richards added, “On behalf of the parent teacher association, the management, staff and the wider community of Fitz Hughes, we would like to thank the Caribbean development bank, BNTF, and the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines for this timely upgrade and we want to express our deepest gratitude to all stakeholders”.

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