PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — As we approach the commencement of the 2024-2025 school year, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Lyndon Lewis on Wednesday announced that the opening of the new school year is anticipated to be smooth and efficient. Significant efforts have been made over the summer to prepare the schools for the arrival of students.
This week, the Department of Public Education completed a deep cleaning of all public schools to ensure a safe and healthy environment. Additional preparations are ongoing to ensure all facilities are in top condition for the start of the new school year.
“In our commitment to providing an excellent educational experience for all public-school students, we have made substantial investments in infrastructure and amenities, in particular at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School (MLK),” Minister Lewis said.
The roof repairs at MLK cost Naf 1,990,490, the re-tiling Naf 124,779 and repainting Naf 43,133. Additionally, electrical upgrades for the Ruby Labega Primary School (RLS), The Dr. Alma Fleming Care Center and the Marie Genevieve DeWeever School (MGDW) totalled Naf 75,29.1. The purchase and installation of air conditioning units for all the public school mentioned totalled Naf 157,232.
The re-tiling project for classrooms at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School is being finalized. During this time, preparations are being made to return three classes to their home location at MLK from the Genevieve DeWeever School where they were temporarily housed.
Management has proposed that the two 5th grade classes and the one 6th grade class be among the first to return to MLK once the re-tiling is complete. These classrooms were unaffected by the previous issues with tile lifting. However, the delay in their return is necessary to restore the network infrastructure and set up the offices.
Due to the relocation of two classes previously housed at MGDW School, these students will start the school year at home with remote learning for approximately two weeks to allow for the completion of necessary works.
As for the air conditioning units, the Minister explained that the purchase requests for air conditioning units for MLK, RLS, MGDW, and Dr. Alma Fleming Care Center have been approved and assigned to vendors. Installation will begin at MLK, as electrical upgrades have already been completed. This work is expected to start this week and be completed over the weekend.
RLS requires the most extensive electrical upgrades before air conditioning installation can begin. We are currently awaiting the contractor’s schedule. Minor upgrades are needed for Alma Fleming and MGDW, with installations set to commence next week.
