By Loshaun Dixon
Basseterre, St. Kitts-The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has yet to determine what would be done with the now abandoned Basseterre High School site that has been unoccupied since 2015.
The school that has been embroiled in controversy since 2012 with students and teachers complaining that of feeling sick a lay blame on the facility for their ill feeling.
Following months of dialogue, testing and moving to various temporary locations Education Minister Shawn Richards took a decision following a NIOSH report to remove the students from the site permanently and to take up temporary locations in Taylors Village next to the Washington Archibald High School and promised to build a new school.
Last week while speaking on public radio Richards indicated that no determination had been made on what the old site could be used for.
Richards was also asked about the dimensions of the new site in the Ponds area compared to that of the old facility.
“The proposed new site is just about 13.9 acres and the old site was 13 or 13 acres so the new site is slightly larger.”
Richards also indicated that that population growth and other factors have been taken into consideration based on the terms of reference relating to the new school.
At the most recent PAM convention Richards who is the leader of that party gave an update on the development of the new school.
“It was just on Friday that the gentleman from the Land and Surveys Department told me that he was going to the Ministry of Education to speak to my Assistant Secretary with responsibility for Finance to get some monies released to have the 14 acres which have been allocated for the Basseterre High School cleared. So, within the next week or so, you should see the clearing of the land for the brand new Basseterre High School.”
In November Richards disclosed that a location in the Ponds Site area has been identified to house the school after previously stating that five sites had been identified for the as possible locations for the new school.
He added that two of the most favored sites were one of the Ponds Area sites and the one at Shadwell.
The decision to move the school from its original location has come under sharp critism from members of the Opposition who remain adamant that there is nothing wrong with the Basseterre High School location.
