CUL DE SAC–Students of St. Maarten Academy’s two schools (the academic and Preparatory Secondary Vocational Education (PSVE) campuses) will continue to share one building and operate on a shift schedule when school reopens for them on Wednesday, January 9.
Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE) Roland Duncan initially made the announcement during the commencement ceremony for the academic school on December 18. At the time, Duncan touched on the adversities faced by students since January 2018, when the two schools were forced to operate out of the Ebenezer building due to damage sustained to the academic campus during the passage of Hurricane Irma in September 2017.
It was estimated that construction of the academic campus would have taken 11 months. However, Duncan told the audience that “unfortunately, the contractor has passed the deadline, so I regret to announce tonight that we are not going to move by January 9.”
He, nonetheless, emphasized that the rebuilding and expansion of the school was necessary due to the growing sixth form programme (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination – CAPE) which now offers students a Caribbean associate degree in the myriad of fields, including entrepreneurship, tourism, accounts, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and natural sciences.
“We need to expand the school. The CAPE is growing and going forward, we are producing 100 plus graduates, so we need to make room and have facilities that can cater and provide teaching spaces for our students; hence the sacrifice,” Duncan was quoted as saying. He lauded the efforts by Government for the continued subsidies despite problems it faces with organisations such as the World Bank.
Students and parents were informed via letter about the delay in the move back to the academic campus prior to school closing in December. Duncan also met with teachers of the academic campus on December 20, during a walkthrough of the construction site, to answer questions and explain the reasons for the delay.
The school’s management has taken into consideration that moving back to the academic campus after March will cause undue disruption to the more than 100 Form 5 and CAPE students preparing for their regional Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations. Also, adding to the fact that returning to the school in the current state can pose a safety hazard to students and personnel were matters discussed at length during several meetings with the board.
As such, classes at PSVE will continue to run from 7:30am until 12:00pm; while classes for the academic school will begin at 12:30pm and end at 5:55pm or 6:30pm depending on the level Monday through Thursday, and at 5:20pm every Friday.
The management of the academic school said the schedule of all Form 1 students will be adjusted to end at 5:55pm on Monday through Thursday to coincide with the bus pick up time.
The board and management apologised for the inconvenience caused, but would like to assure all that the safety of students is paramount as they continue to meet the educational needs of the students.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/84258-academy-to-resume-at-psve-wed-construction-incomplete
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