BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Government has not yet made a decision on what plans it has going forward for the use of the old Basseterre High School campus.
The site, which is located on Victoria Road, has not been occupied or used for any significant purpose since 2015 when the Team Unity Government made the decision to have students of the educational institution relocated.
Last week, while a guest on WINN FM’s ‘Voices’ programme, Minister of Education Hon. Shawn Richards informed that “no determination has been made on that”.
That statement comes against the backdrop of the many public speculations on what best the site can be used for, while the opposition St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party indicated possible alternative uses for it.
Asked by a caller if the new site is bigger than the old one, Minister Richards stated that the Pond Site location, which was indicated earlier this year, is almost the same size as the one on Victoria Road.
“As far as I know, the land size is about the same. The proposed new site is 13.9 acres. The old site, I think, was about 12 or 13 acres. So the new site is a bit larger than the old site. So, like I said, they are just about the same.”
The Minister informed that he had seen the Terms of Reference relating to the new Basseterre High School, and that population growth and other factors were taken into consideration.
Meanwhile, The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer had quoted the Minister as saying that construction of the new institution is expected to begin by June.
“It was just on Friday that the gentleman from the Land and Surveys Department told me that he was going to the Ministry of Education to speak to my Assistant Secretary with responsibility for Finance to get some monies released to have the 14 acres which have been allocated for the Basseterre High School cleared. So, within the next week or so, you should see the clearing of the land for the brand new Basseterre High School.”
It has been more than four years that the school has been at the center of a highly-publicised controversy with politicians on both sides of the isle laying blame at each other.
Prior to the relocation of students and teachers from the Victoria Road-based campus, many had complained of being unwell while attending classes.
Students, teachers and parents had protested the conditions at the time under the Denzil Douglas-led Labour Administration.
However, shortly after the 2015 General Elections, the Team Unity Administration, led by Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, had stuck to its campaign promise to not have the students return to the location.
That decision had caused an outcry by the opposition and some parents as the students are all split at various locations.
