Barbados will have two new schools from September.
They are the Blackman Gollop Primary School, in Staple Grove, Christ Church and the Maria Holder Nursery School in Sharon St Thomas.
This was revealed today as Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Ronald Jones, toured the project sites of three educational facilities, along with officials from the Ministry’s Education Project Implementation Unit.
Jones said the $1.5 million project at Sharon St Thomas, funded by the Maria Holder Memorial Trust would, on completion in May, house 120 nursery-aged students. Explaining that lands were being procured from the Moravian Church, he said it represented part of the Ministry’s initiative for early childhood education.
He said the new primary school at Staple Grove Christ Church would be named in honour of two outstanding teachers – Wilfred Blackman, a teacher who worked at the St David’s Primary school for some 42 years and Sir Clyde Gollop, a teacher, community activist and family planner.
Jones said the amalgamation of South District and St David’s Primary schools, was expected to cost some $8 million, but that figure would probably increase as a result of extra work done on its sloping topography.
The current roll for the two schools was “slightly over 400” and the new facility would accommodate about 630, he added.
The touring party also visited Harrison College and examined the infrastructural upgrades that would accommodate information technology. This is a new block that will be dedicated as the school’s central computer laboratory. The $3.7 million project, which is being done under Government’s Education Sector Enhancement Programme (EDUTECH) was said to be “a bit behind schedule” but slated for completion soon and under budget. (PR)
