As of September 8, 2025, the newly constructed Dominica Grammar School (DGS) will be ready to accommodate students.
This was according to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training and National Excellence, Robert Guiste.
Guiste reported that “From September, the students will return to school, and they will be occupying blocks A, B, and C.”
“Block A is the existing block–what they used before–Block B, the technical Block. So, when you look at Grammar School before the new wing, you would see Block A and B,” he said.
He continued, “Block B is in the car park area [and] Block C is actually the new wing. The part along the River Bank Road, this is the new block.”
According to Guiste, while from the outside it may appear that it is not ready, “all the classrooms are painted.”
“Up to last week, plumbing works were ongoing and it should be completed by the end of this week…,” he revealed.
Furthermore, Guiste revealed that new furniture was purchased to add to the existing furniture, with more orders in the pipeline.
“The courtyard will be paved,” he said. “Even though the total work is not 100 percent complete, while the students are there, the works that will be ongoing would be minor. [The] bottom line is [that] the school will be ready to accept all of our students in September.”
Guiste added, “School is expected to open on September 8, and we are expecting that our students will be at the school…”
Construction on the site was subject to a setback on June 16, 2025, reported by Dominica News Online, when the roof of the new DGS auditorium collapsed. There were no injuries as the building was unoccupied at the time.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit assured the public that the government was taking decisive action and leaving “no stone unturned,” regarding the incident. He announced that an independent structural engineer from St Lucia, as well as an internal team from the education ministry, would be contracted in the subsequent investigation.
At the time, there were calls by independent groups for transparency and an incorruptible inquiry process, with a clear imperative by the Electoral Reform Coalition to avoid “quick fixes.”
“Let me reiterate that the safety of our students, teachers, and education stakeholders remains the government’s highest priority,” remarked Skerrit in his address after the incident.
Sounds like progress to me. I know a lot of bluehaters were on Q95 and on social media claiming CBI dead so the DGS project is dead and de school will nevah feeneesh. That semi-crazy one from Bath Estate, the mother of the attention-seeker always crying down government while making big money in rum and sewo with his one pot, is a prime example. I wonder how she feels now passing up and down each day to see the progress at that site. She probably boogonays a lot as she passes by. Look ah kind of woman, wi!
More than 2 months have gone by since the roof collapsed, right? What have the St.Lucian INDEPENDENT strutural engineer along with the internal team from the Education Ministry found, if anything, as the cause(s) ??
Are the stones still being ” turned”? Nothing on the issue, yet students will be housed there come September 8th.
Dominica is a special place, boy.
Any new developments as per the promised investigation into the collapsed auditorium roof Mr Guiste?
I’m just wondering where else in the Caribbean or in the Democratic world of nations, a school would be re-opened without a concluded report on such a massive construction failure.
Surely parents, teachers, students and the public at large need to know the findings of the independent inquiry into the safety of the structures.
Over two weeks ago I wrote to the Minister of Education as follows:
Following the engagement of an independent structural engineer to conduct a full investigation of the DGS auditorium roof collapse and a comprehensive assessment of all structures under construction at the site, can you say if and when the findings of the investigation will be made available to the public?
I have not received a response.