New school term put back one week

With several changes and updates occurring within the education system, the Ministry of Education announced at a recent press conference that the 2009/2010 academic year will now commence on Monday, September 7, instead of Monday, August 31 – as originally scheduled.{{more}}

Chief Education Officer Susan Dougan related that several principals participated in a development programme over the school break. The extra week, she asserted, would not only allow them to implement what they have garnered from the programme in the running of their schools, but would also give them a chance to be better prepared for the new academic year.

In addition to this, Dougan revealed that there will be an influx of young teachers entering the system, and the extra week will serve as orientation for them. Dougan further insisted that all teachers use this additional time to make sure that timetables and classrooms are in “a state of readiness” to ensure minimal disruption to classes.

Permanent Secretary Laura Browne also gave an update on the readiness of schools which have been undergoing repairs over the summer vacation. She announced that students of the Union Island Secondary School should report to the new building at the beginning of term. Meanwhile, students of the Mary Hutchinson Primary School will vacate their old premises and move into the building that formerly housed the secondary school.

Similarly, the Barrouallie Secondary School will move to new quarters at Peter’s Hope, and students from the Dr. J.P Eustace Memorial School will take up residence in the new location at Edinboro.

Under the Secondary School Expansion Project, several other schools are still undergoing repair, but sufficient work has been carried out to accommodate students. “It won’t hamper the delivery of the curriculum,” Browne assured. Ten primary schools (funded by the Basic Needs Trust Fund) have also been undergoing repairs, but most will be in a state of readiness for the beginning of the school term. These include the Sion Hill Government, Buccament Government and Calder Primary, amongst others.

Additionally, several schools have received new furniture or had the old ones repaired, and many others have received new computers – with the final set of computers scheduled to arrive in state during the first week of September and distributed by the end of the first half of the month. (JSV)