The situation affecting the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Irma, and where there is a shift system, was discussed at the House of Assembly meeting on Tuesday, July 10.
It was revealed that construction work on a new school building is anticipated to commence in January 2019, on 17 acres of Government land in The Quarter, and that the completion date may be July 2020. Until then, the shift system for students will continue.
The matter was brought up in the House by Opposition Leader, Ms. Palmavon Webster, during a question and answer period initiated by her. The questions she addressed to the Minister of Education, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, were as follows:
• “For how long is it planned that the shift system at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, which many parents have complained about, will continue?”
• “Whether provision has been made to assist struggling parents with the purchase of textbooks and, if so, what provision?”
Minister Cora Richardson replied: “In relation to question one, as the member for island Harbour would be aware, the shift system during the school year 2017 to 2018 , came about as a result of Hurricane Irma which destroyed a number of the classroom buildings at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School. Those buildings were deemed unfit for use to teach our schoolchildren and, as a result, they were demolished so as to ensure a safe environment on the school’s premises.
“In as much as there was no feasible alternative to house all of our secondary schoolchildren, the decision was made to institute a shift system utilising Campus B and the remaining buildings at Campus A. Within one month after the storm, we were able to get all of our children back into school. Forms 1-3 attend school from 7 to 11.30 am; and forms 4, 5, and 6 attend school from 12.30 to 5.30 pm.
“Prior to the storm, the Ministry of Education had engaged Design Collaborative, a consultant firm from Barbados, to look at ways in which our secondary education could be redeveloped. This included carrying out island-wide surveys to ascertain whether the secondary school should be relocated; possible feasible locations; institutional strengthening; post offerings, etc. After the storm, the terms of reference of Design Collaborative were slightly altered in that, as opposed to rebuilding the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School being an option, it became a necessity.
“Research, discussions and consultations took place, resulting in Executive Council approving the relocation of the school to a 17-acre plot of land, located in The Quarter and owned by the Government of Anguilla. This will allow us to build on a green field site without having concerns such as construction taking place during school time and disrupting the classes …and the delay in rebuilding as quickly as possible. The consultants are currently in the process of preparing conceptual drawings and thereafter architectural and other drawings required to construct the school. Based on the preliminary timeline that we have received, we anticipate that construction will start in January 2019 and conclude by July 2020, barring any unforeseen delays.
“To answer the question, the shift system will have to be continued until the new school is built which would be in time for the September 2020 school year.”
The Minister of Education answered question 2 as follows:
“For several years, the Department of Social Development has had a programme where parents, who cannot afford to buy textbooks, can apply to the department for assistance.”
