Fifth Company Baptist School Repairs Underway Offsite

August 24, 2017: Fifth Company Baptist School is at thirty-five percent (35%) completion, based on a report coming in from the Education Facilities Company Limited (EFCL). Today the Minister wishes to clarify the status of work being done at this school under the vacation repair programme as accusations have been made by member of Parliament for Naparima Rodney Charles, that no work is being carried out at the compound. The scope of works agreed to for the aforementioned school consists of the instalation of burglar proofing, raising of guard rails and window repairs. These fixtures are being fabricated off-site by the contractor thus an unsolicited visit to the school would not reflect repairs.  The contractor has assured the Ministry that all fabrication and installation work will be completed in time for the opening of the new school term.

The Honourable Anthony Garcia, Minister of Education has again urged members of the opposition to be cautious in statements made that may cause undue concern and panic among the national community. Mr Charles, a past chairman and member of the Baptist Board,is also reminded that work has been carried out at the Marac Baptist Primary School and William Webb Memorial Baptist Primary School; and work is carded to begin at the Cowen Hamilton Secondary School.

Noting the current economic climate Minister Garcia also highlighted the feasiblity of new school construction at this time. To address the need for new schools and to ensure that parents and students are recipients of quality facilities, new school construction will be done on a phased basis. The first phase will see the construction of  ten (10) new schools thoughout the island.

###