BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (SKNIS) – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has made a significant investment of more than one million dollars towards the renovation of the Cayon High School, ensuring that when the new academic year starts on Monday, September 02, students and teachers can return to a safe and welcoming environment that is conducive to the teaching and learning process.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, the Honourable Dr Geoffrey Hanley, led Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr Terrance Drew, on a follow-up walkthrough of the school facility on Wednesday (August 28) where final preparatory works are taking place. These include the installation of several doors and windows and painting along certain blocks.
Giving an overview of the scope of the work, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Hanley said, “We would have had quite a lot of construction taking place here. We would have invested over one million dollars in this school thus far and this is just the beginning of the work that we intend to do at the Cayon High School and other schools, as renovation has been part of our priority.”
The Education Minister noted that despite a minor setback a few weeks ago due to Tropical Storm Ernesto, they remain on target to complete the necessary work to facilitate the reopening of the school on September 02. The school was closed earlier in the year to address several health and infrastructural concerns that arose after years of neglect.
“Everything should be in place for the opening of school,” Dr. Hanley assured. “I want to thank those at the Maintenance Unit at the Ministry of Education for their hard work … and all of the various contractors who are working together in ensuring that this project is done.”
Prime Minister Dr Drew commended the Honourable Dr Geoffrey Hanley and his team at the Ministry of Education for their diligent work in restoring the Cayon High School to a safe and comfortable setting for both students and teachers.
The honourable prime minister stated that the significant amount of money invested in this project was done “to make sure that the health environment at the school is as optimal as possible.”
Dr Drew noted that the investment made in Cayon High School over the past year and a half was the most significant in the last decade, emphasising the government’s commitment to ensuring the school receives the necessary resources, just like any other institution.
Prime Minister Drew, who serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) for St. Christopher Eight which encompasses the Cayon community, gave the assurance that additional upgrades will be carried out on the secondary school.
“We will continue to invest in this school. We are getting ready for Monday but more work will continue even beyond Monday to make sure we continue to improve Cayon High School, along with other schools in the Federation. As the MP I am very interested in making sure that the Cayon High School is ready and that the work will continue,” he said.
In addition to the final phase of infrastructural work being carried out, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Hanley revealed that the school’s environment was recently retested and those tests came back negative, indicating that the school is safe to welcome back students and teachers alike.