By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister yesterday confirmed that government has resurrected plans for a new primary school in Carmichael with a tender exercise for a school in Inagua “ready to go”.
Mr Bannister said the Carmichael school could cost as much as $20m to construct as he underlined the government’s commitment to a “real investment” in education.
“We are looking at this new primary school in Carmichael,” he said as a guest on Guardian Talk Radio show Off The Record with Zhivargo Laing.
“It is going to be an amazing school. It is going to be on Carmichael Road, just as the government promised.”
He continued: “This is a project, quite frankly when you [Mr Laing] and I were in Cabinet, we wanted to do. This project has sat dormant for five years. I just looked at the plans yesterday and we expect that Cabinet is going to be moving ahead with that shortly.
“That’s the focus on a new school right now, but we have to build other schools. We have the Inagua school, that I have also looked at the plans, and that is going out to tender very shortly.”
Mr Bannister explained that the Carmichael road area was targeted after the Ministry of Education analysed population trends.
“That is going to meet a lot of needs out there,” he said.
“We had also looked at a junior high school in that area also, so I am sure that they will soon be looking at that.”
Mr Bannister, who served as education minister in the last Ingraham administration, said the plans were untouched last term by the Christie administration.
“When we left [office] unceremoniously in 2012, and I was minister of education, we were also looking at that Inagua school that had been burnt down. I have looked at that also very recently, that is something that is ready to go out to tender now from our ministry.
“When you are looking at the development of schools, you have those two and you also have the one in Holmes Rock in Grand Bahama, that was started by the former administration, that has been left, that needs to be completed.
“These are three major schools that are going to run you, the one in New Providence may run you into $20 million to build and so you are talking about a real investment of the Bahamian people’s money.”
Comments
sheeprunner12 7 years, 1 month ago
It is good to construct school buildings ......... but the school system MUST be reformed as well
Emac 7 years, 1 month ago
Yep, Carmichael really does need another primary school to accommodate the influx of all a dem chireen dem who are the offsprings of the illegal baby makers. Compliments of the Bahamian tax payer.
birdiestrachan 7 years, 1 month ago
Why is Banister talking about schools ? when he should be talking about roads. This man is confused.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 1 month ago
His Ministry is responsible for supervising the building of the public schools.
birdiestrachan 7 years, 1 month ago
The former deacon Mr: Jeff Lloyd would love to make the announcement. hoping some one will believe he is doing something.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 1 month ago
BOL ................. there is a real need for an Education Minister for real!!!!! He is a good cheerleader, but needs to get on with public school reform.
sheeprunner12 7 years ago
MICAL needs one boarding high school for those five islands ...... just a waste of resources putting up another building without a vision for these islands.
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