Finally! Rehab works @ ESHS begins
NDP Neglected Project
Neglected for two years by the National Democratic Party (NDP) through embattled Education and Culture Minister Myron V. Walwyn, external works to clean up the surroundings of the building has begun as the Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1) led Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government make moves to end the current shift system at the institution.
Currently, the ESHS housed at the Old Clarence Thomas building located in Pasea Estate operates under a shift system where the morning shift runs from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM while the afternoon shift runs from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
The system was implemented as a result of damage to the ESHS main campus during the Hurricanes of 2017 and social commentators have long commented that the shift situation is not ideal, especially when it comes to the education of the Territory's young minds.
Premier Ecstatic
In a public missive on the initiative through the Government Information Service (GIS), Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Fahie said he is happy with the progress made by the Ministry of Finance, especially Dr Drexel Glasgow and his colleagues at the Project Management Unit to get this project completed for the new school year in September this year.
“Since taking office, your government has designated this project as high-priority so that our junior students can once again attend school full time at this site. Our senior students will continue school at the CTL Building, but now they will attend school full-time,” Hon Fahie said.
According to the Premier, “This will end the shift system which was implemented as a result of the destruction of the ESHS campus in September 2017 by Hurricane Irma. In the meantime, the plans for the new ESHS campus are in the making.”
Internal works soon
Further, the Premier added that contracts for the internal works on the L-shaped building will be signed as early as next week. He expressed appreciation to the principal, assistant principals, teachers, support staff, students and parents of ESHS for their patience and tolerance with the matter from September 2017 to the present.
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7 Responses to “Finally! Rehab works @ ESHS begins”
Moreover, ESHS sits on approximately 8 acres of prime real estate in Road Town, Tortola and VI capital city. However, the current layout of the campus is not maximizing land use of this piece of prime real estate. Though the 2017 hurricanes devastated the territory, the silver lining, if any, provides the opportunity to do things differently. The ESHS needs to be redesigned and reconstructed to modernized it, as well as maximized the land. The school needs to be razed and resited; the new school should include cafeterias, gymnasiums, laboratories, sport facilities, learning resource center......etc. Currently, the territory is without a central library. Well, a joint ESHS-Central Library can be explored as part of a modernized ESHS project scope. Further, a modernized ESHS should be designed and constructed to withstand major hurricanes, ie, category 3 and above and can be used as a rideout shelter. No doubt this proposal will be costly, take time, and delay the rebirth of ESHS. Nonetheless, sometimes it pays to be visionary, bold and dream big, looking beyond the rainbow.
Let’s fly and soar like eagles, not careened off the cliff like buffaloes .