Students and teachers of the Calibishie Primary School have started the new academic year in a whole new environment as Government begins preparation for construction of a new building.
The school, which hosts about forty students along with the members of staff, will be housed at the Woodford Hill Primary School for the first term.
An assembly was held on Wednesday, September 8 to welcome the staff and students. Minister for Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training and National Excellence, Hon. Octavia Alfred, who was present at this assembly, says that due to the small population of both primary schools, a shift system was not required.
“We moved the Calibishie Primary School to Woodford Hill while we prepare proper accommodations for the Calibishie students. It is a small group, just over forty and both schools have small groups. If the school populations were bigger, we would have gone on a shift system but because the schools can be accommodated in the same building we are glad that can happen. I think it is something that works. When we were in Wotten Waven it worked, it worked when we working at Delices and they were accommodated at Jones Beaupierre. So we are just grateful that we have this other place where we can accommodate the children so they can be in school for the whole day and engage in their teaching and their learning,” Hon. Alfred stated.
The Education Minister commended the staff from both primary schools who made this transition possible for the students.
“We commend the teachers from both schools for their efforts and the parents who were there too. The Ministry of Education continues to do everything to ensure the students can continue their learning. Last year we had a challenge with covid-19 and some years ago it was a bigger challenge with Hurricane Maria. So we are just grateful that we have this accommodation and we have the busses to bring the children over. The Calibishie children, they moved with their teachers, their furniture, their cooks, their cleaners and all heir officers; some of the people who teach at Woodford Hill are from Calibishie so it is not a completely strange environment for the students,” she noted.
Hon. Alfred explained that the Calibishie Primary School is one of five schools set to be reconstructed by the People’s Republic of China. She noted that the design and funding has been finalized and preparatory works are underway.
“Calibishie was a school even for the last ten years that we have been looking ta, the location of the school and even after Maria the situation was worsened. But Calibishie is a school that is on the cards for construction by the People’s Republic of China. The funds are available, the plans are available we did all the final arrangements and the next thing is to implement,” Hon. Alfred explained.
The Minister added that the move to the Woodford Hill Primary School is temporary as Government is preparing a location in Calibishie where the students will be housed until the end of construction.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Principal of the Woodford Hill Primary School, Ursuline Benjamin says that she and her staff will continue to make all efforts to ensure that the students and staff of the Calibishie Primary School are comfortable and productive during this period of transition.
“My staff and I have done everything possible to ensure that the staff and students of Calibishie Primary School are comfortable. We will be working together to make sure that things run as smoothly as possible because after all we have to put our students first. At the end of the day we want success for all our students,” she noted.