The Goodwill Secondary School (GSS) which was severely damaged during the passage of Hurricane Maria nearly four years ago, is among 6 learning facilities across the island to be reconstructed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), while 9 others will be done with funding from other international donors.
Following the 2017 natural disaster, the PRC gave a commitment to support Dominica’s school reconstruction and in May 2020, an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Education and the PRC for the reconstruction of the schools.
Speaking at a recent cabinet press conference, Minister of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training & National Excellence, Octavia Alfred said that the GSS, Bellevue Chopin Primary, Sineku Primary, Thibaud Primary, Calibishie Primary and the Tete Morne Primary School, will be the beneficiaries of the agreement.
“These schools are expected to meet the demands for high-quality teaching. These advanced resilient facilities will provide a safe learning environment for all our children,” Alfred stated.
She noted that the facilities will all include units for teaching and training of early childhood development, administrative offices to include counselling rooms, health care rooms and sickbay, printing rooms, canteens, kitchenette, washroom, information and technology, library and storage unit.
“A design company radio film and TV design and research institute, one of the top 100 design firms in the People’s Republic of China were selected to do design work on all these new schools. All designs and plans have been submitted for review and discussion with stakeholders. Feedback on the design concepts will be submitted to the design company. The design group has submitted their work plans and the timelines will soon be submitted,” the Education Minister disclosed.
Under the ninth Basic Needs Trust Fund Programme (BNTF 9), an additional three schools will be upgraded which includes Morne Prosper Primary School and sports upgrade at a cost of US $477,735.22, the Castle Bruce Secondary Production Facility to the tune of US $632 217.90 and the Dominica Community High School extension at a cost of US $1.2 million.
The Government of Canada has also pledged its support through the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and will upgrade three primary and one secondary school on the island.
The first school to be upgraded is the Morne Jaune Primary, where the renovated resilient structure will cost EC$ 1,6400 00 and should be completed by April 2021. At the Delices Primary, renovation work to the learning facility costing one million dollars, is expected to be completed in May of this year, while work is still ongoing at the Grandbay Primary and Will Strathmore Stevens Primary costing EC$ 3.2 million and EC$ 2.157 million respectively.
Alfred also disclosed that the design for the additional classroom for the Castle Bruce Secondary is completed and her ministry is in the process of preparing bidding documents for prequalified contractors.
Work has also begun on the Mahaut Primary School, which was also damaged during the passage of Hurricane Maria.
The two-storey, 14 classroom facility, upon completion, will include an early childhood development unit, room for guidance counselling, washrooms, administrative offices, staff room, sickbay, storeroom, kitchen, a multipurpose room and library. Other amenities will include an ITC room, wifi-enabled classroom, charging ports, hand washing stations, perimeter fencing, yard work and wheelchair access.
Work has started on the confirmation of the concept and design of the extension of the Dominica Grammar School (DGS). Recently, a meeting was held with the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), staff and other key representatives to discuss the design. Consequently, the Ministry of Education is preparing a revised brief for submission to Montreal Management Consultant Est. (MMCE), who is responsible for the construction of the project.
The scope of work will include classrooms, administrative offices, practical training rooms, an auditorium and an outdoor sporting facility.
All new school plans will accommodate the physically challenged, Alfred pointed out, adding, “the ministry of education is making every effort to modernize every aspect of education to meet the rapidly changing needs and to face the rapid climate change.”
What year will the construction begin?
Nothing Skerrit and his cabinet do will ever please you all. 14 schools including the Goodwill Secondary School to be rebuilt and you all still bashing. Skerrit should just ignore you all. You all are jealous of the man and his cabinet and their achievements. You IBO France, Viewexpressed and company don’t know what more to say or do with your lives. Tomorrow Skerrit will come up with a new design for the Roseau Library and you all will still be bashing again. All I can say is that Lennox Linton nor Kent Vital nor Hurtault will ever become the PM of Dominica. Not in this life, not in the next one and the one after. Dominica is moving up compared to the other islands in the Caribbean. Dominica has done far better than a lot of these ghetto neighborhoods in America. Kudos to Skerrit and his cabinet. Stay jealous and it wont do you all any good. Skerrit compared to all our former Chief Ministers and Premier and Prime Ministers put together has done way better than them. You all are…
we have construct professionals here who are fully capable of designing any educational facility. yet our people are constantly being put behind, made second, no third class citizens in our own lands, cause the Chinese are still the ones who are going to construct those buildings. tell me octavia alfred, why do we need a graduate in every household when there is no regard to their professional qualifications and abilities?
Now that’s what you call “staying in your lane”. Good job on informing us about what the government plans to do in the EDUCATION sector.
In Skerrit text book…..these projects are well timed to be completed around the next constitutionally due general election!
Except for the CDB and Canada to a lesser extent Skerrit can’t say who are de international support players. To my mind de Chinese input is a soft loan on our back !!
It’s interesting to see a Chinese design firm being selected to do the design for ALL of the new schools……I was once a student at the technical college in stock farm. The new college st stock farm doesn’t have de capacity to develop young architects and designers?
This would be a beautiful opportunity to put some nature island flair in our school design…..event a competition amognst students. The winning student would get an internship.
Introduce solar and wind power systems at the schools and at the same time bring it into the curriculum.
Dat ministry of education act like it lacks positive brain power!
It will be re-named the Dominica China school. Soon Dominica will be re-named Caribbean China Island and the illustrious his excellency the PM minister of finance will be governor under Chinese pay roll.
Dumb minister pampalam, hope the Goodwill Secondary School will be a model school well equipped with every possible opportunity for technical education, and sports, particulsrly for our boys…!
Worse Minister of Education since the discovery of Dominica.
Imagine an education minister is shameless enough to tell the world, she did not know the meaning of a word, but she used it, because she heard someone else use it….
What sort of idiocy is this! Lady you should enrich your vocabulary with a myriad of words so that you wont bring that level of shame to my country. What you say here on island, does not only stay here….
Nothing on drones???
Minister pampalam!!!
Your comments are always so petty. You need to stop supporting UWP. People like you keep messing up the chances of the party.
“A design company radio film and tv design and research institute, one of the top 100 design firms in the People’s Republic of China were selected to do designs work on all these new schools”
People, all you see how they moving? We have no architects and engineers in Dominica who could have proposed this? Was there ANY call to tendor? How are national projects being executed? I personally cannot accept a man in China designing a school for children in Dominica. This building will definitely NEED air condition based on the size of windows and overall design. The school is right on the coast, afternoon sun will roast people in that. Nonsense that there. Now who are the stakeholders that are being consulted? Because i cannot accept that.
That woman again!!! Torneh! Goodwill school property will not accommodate that design! nonsense!. And Fix Pottersville Savannah! If that is the “outdoor sporting facility” you there running your mouth about. My question now is why those schools costing almost as much as a VIP lounge that is already built at MelvilleHall Airport? Which of the two is over priced and underpriced.
They will fix the Pottersvlle Savannah and you will still be bashing. Ghetto bums.