SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport, Melissa D. Gumbs, took time to address rumours that several schools were not briefed about the pending closure of their gymnasiums.
In a media statement provided on Thursday evening, Gumbs provided background to the purpose for the closures and the efforts by the National Recovery Programme Bureau to communicate with all stakeholders involved.
“For several months, I have spoken about the ongoing projects under the Trust Fund that relate to ECYS,” Gumbs stated. “ERP-1, under which the repairs of school gyms and sports facilities falls, is currently in the mobilization and preparation stage. As per the contractual requirements under the Trust Fund, site possession is handed over to the contractor (in this case, Windward Roads) once agreements are signed and mobilization begins.”
That, Gumbs said, has been part of the NRPB’s communication with the public throughout all Trust Fund-related construction and repair projects. From site visits, townhall sessions, direct communication with school boards, and continued engagement with relevant stakeholders, clear explanations were provided about the need to restrict access once contracts were in place.
“There are a variety of reasons for this, namely the safety of those persons and buildings in the immediate vicinity of the works,” Gumbs continued. “The contractor cannot risk any accidents, damage to repaired areas or worse, additional damage that further deteriorates the integrity of the structures.
ERP-1 forms part of the broader post-Irma recovery effort and was initially intended to have classrooms and gyms repaired at the start of the Trust Fund.
Priority, however, was shifted to classrooms and direct school repairs, with the administration at the time preferring to secure the safety of the learning environment to normalize education following the storm’s destruction.
The school gym and sport facility repairs were therefore separated and delayed. Over the last year and a half, the Ministry of ECYS has worked diligently with the NRPB to move the projects along, resulting in the completion of the tender process and the handover of sites to the contractor, Windward Roads.
“While it’s unfortunate that communication efforts seem to have encountered some gaps, we should reflect on the fact that these long-awaited repairs are finally happening,” Gumbs concluded. “Many of these facilities have not been able to be properly used for several years and so it is critical that these repair projects are able to be executed smoothly and efficiently.”
Gumbs urged schools to be creative about physical education for their students and encouraged the public to follow the Ministry’s and NRPB’s official updates on the Trust Fund projects, rather than relying on unsubstantiated rumors.
“It is unfortunate that persons pretending at journalism have not learned the first rule, which is to verify all information before publication,” Gumbs stated. “However, I remain confident that the NRPB, and the Ministry, continue to meet communication goals as part of the required outreach related to the Trust Fund’s projects. I look forward as well to seeing work begin to ramp up as Windward Roads continues through this mobilization phase.”
