Grades 5 and 6 students of the Questelles Government School will take classes at the Campden Park Community Centre next term because of the fire that destroyed the roof of one of the school blocks on Monday.
Minister of Education, Phillip Jackson, told iWitness News on Tuesday that he and the management team at his ministry visited the school along with the leadership and technical staff from BRAGSA.
“Grades 3 and 4 were affected by the fire. That’s 98 students, six teachers,” he said, adding that the school’s kitchen was also located in the section of the school that was damaged by the fire.
“So, to date, we have decided that we will relocate some of the students and their teachers to the Camden Park Community Centre,” Jackson said.
“The ministry staff, along with BRAGSA’s entire hierarchy, from the CEO and all these technical staff, visited that site, and have already drawn up an advanced plan on how to accommodate the students there,” he said.
He said that the education ministry has decided that students of Grades 5 and 6 will take classes at the temporary location.
“… they are older students and that will be easier on the transitioning and staff management,” Jackson said.
He said that BRAGSA has concluded that the structure where the fire occurred has a very strong foundation and that the stone wall façade is in “very, very excellent condition.
“We will design and rebuild around that structure. And that’s expected to take at least three months plus. And so, the relocated students would stay at the Camden Park facility for the rest of term 2,” Jakson said.
He said that the ministry will review the distribution of students moving to the Campden Park location and will provide additional resources, including transportation assistance.
“We want to make sure that the students are accommodated as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that classes will begin on Jan. 12 for those students.
“Between Grades K and Grade 4, they would open on the fifth. However, grades 5 and 6 would start their classes one week later, just to ensure that the new site is fully prepared for the accommodations,” the education minister told iWitness News.