All government schools in the territory will have air conditioning units installed. The Bregado Flax Educational Centre (pictured) is one of the schools fully air-conditioned. Photo: GIS

Chief Education Officer, Ms Orlandette R. Crabbe was a guest on the Virgin Islands Voice on September 10, 2025. Photo: Facebook

The C-Block of the Elmore Stott High School was air-conditioned over the 2025 summer break. Photo: GIS

Chief Education Officer Orlandette R. Crabbe, during the Virgin Islands Voice on September 10, 2025, said this will be done in a phased approach as the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports continues with upgrading the infrastructure at schools. 

Over the summer, the Bregado Flax Educational Centre- Secondary Division was fully air-conditioned; the primary arm had been air-conditioned from before. Also, the Joyce Samuel Primary School and the C-Block of the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) were fully air-conditioned. 

Making classrooms more ‘conducive to teaching & learning’

As it relates to the ESHS, Ms Crabbe explained, “That’s being phased in as well. The C-Block was extremely hot; that’s the building in the very back and because of the other buildings in front of it they had some serios ventilation challenges, and that is also the building where the cooking labs and all the technical rooms were so there were up and about and not just sitting and so we are happy to report that as of today, the air-conditioning in C-Block is complete.”

The Chief Education Officer added that other schools received AC units as well, but are not fully air-conditioned as yet. 

“We plan to continue to phase in air-conditioning to make the classrooms more conducive to teaching and learning. Everybody knows how our climate is changing. Sometimes, when you go into those classrooms, there is no way that learning could take place because of how uncomfortable it is to the point where you are so distracted.”

Still a 'lot of things to be done'- Education CEO 

Ms Crabbe said the Ministry of Education is happy to be able to do these works with funding received from the government. 

“We really just want to thank the Ministry of Finance, the Premier and the Minister of Finance for the support that they continue to show, the Ministry of Education.”

She added that the ministry is always asking for more because there is a lot to be done. 

“And even with all we have mentioned, in the way of infrastructure, we still have a lot of things to be done, we have a lot of work to be done when it comes to infrastructure, and we have a lot of things ongoing. We plan to get some things ongoing in the next three months, and of course, in the next budget cycle, we plan to address others.”