By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
HALF A million dollars is being spent on repairs to a Family Island school that has not received any remedial work since its inception, a government official said on Friday.
Lionel Sands, the Director of Education, told The Tribune that the Rum Cay All-Age School has not received any repairs since before former Governor General Sir Milo Butler attended the school in the early 1900s.
Last week, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald said the nine students currently attending the school in Rum Cay would be relocated and housed at one of the local churches until the completion of $500,000 worth of renovations.
Mr Fitzgerald said the Rum Cay All-Age School was one of two schools that required work that "extends beyond the opening of school".
When questioned why such a high price tag was placed on such a (relatively) small school, Mr Sands explained: "Rum Cay is a school where nothing was done to it since Sir Milo Butler attended it." He added that the school's overall structure, particularly the roof, is well overdue for repairs.
"The walls would be those thick, very strong walls but the roof and the other infrastructures, plumbing and all of that because obviously it's very old," he said. "The plumbing and the electrical amenities would have to be dealt with also."
Comments
birdiestrachan 8 years, 7 months ago
It is a god thing to repair the Rum Cay school . So many distinguished men and women of high honour are products from Rum Cay. The late and Great Tommy A Robinson is only one of many.
Cas0072 8 years, 7 months ago
Repairs? I hope they meant to say replace, rebuild, or even renovate. Or maybe the two additional zeros were added in error.
CatIslandBoy 8 years, 7 months ago
Maybe someone can help me to understand this. The Government is about to spend a half million dollars to renovate a school that only houses 9 students? This doesn't seem fiscally prudent to me. But then, nothing this government does ever makes much sense to me. Probably just another scheme to rip off the treasury and build their coffers for the upcoming elections.
TalRussell 8 years, 7 months ago
Comrades, this just proves that this PLP Cabinet, when they says they coming to your financial rescue, they is damn-well committed to renovating at least one of the island's schools, even if it only has nine students showing up for its one class, on a good day.
This sucker better have gold-plated chandeliers, hanging from its one school-room ceiling.
Think the nine students could also use a fancy 'dock - cuz there's one sticking out into the mouth Atlantic Ocean at Cable Beach, going completely unneeded and unused.
Abaconian 8 years, 7 months ago
Not the dock chat again.
rumcayinfo_1 8 years, 7 months ago
Maybe Government knows that there may be more than nine students in Rum Cay's future.
digimagination 8 years, 7 months ago
Unbelievable amount. I wonder how much it would really cost to fix up the building and how much will find its way into 'other' pockets!!!
concernedcitizen 8 years, 7 months ago
My good Lord , I,m a contractor and I could build a new modern building to house 20 students for 200,000 to 250 ,000 .Birdie you should be embarrassed to post on this .
OMG 8 years, 7 months ago
Will be given to a PP supporter. Whilst we are at it could he Minister explain why we have this influx of Cuban teachers many of whom can hardly speak English added to which the Ministry is paying rental for accommodation roughly $600 month per teacher when there are often qualified ENGLISH speaking teachers living in their own houses unemployed. Multiply this by several islands and the cost is enormous. Ah to hell with it, let's borrow some more money at increased interest rates.
sheeprunner12 8 years, 7 months ago
This my friends is the root of our problem in this country ............ why doesn't he government consolidate its high school facilities on these scattered islands and have one central school on each main island ????? Why have any school open with less than 100 students???? Why have high schools with 20-30 children??? Why have not have one high school for MICAL or Long Island or Cat Island???? If it works for Exuma, why cant it work for the others?? Why have four high schools on Eleuthera or Andros??? Build a bridge, bus the children, provide boarding rooms and have decent modern high schools.
Why pay principals and teachers of these little schools to really do almost nothing????? The children are not receiving an equitable and quality education ...... its ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!
birdiestrachan 8 years, 7 months ago
The Rum school is an old building. They may not even have inside toilets.. Most of the water on Rum Cay is salty. Even if there is only one child on Rum Cay, that Child deserves the same education every other child deserves , who knows the next PM may be from Rum Cay . Some great sons and Daughters of the Bahamas have Rum Cay roots. The late Cannon William Thompson.. . Cat Island Boy has a heart for illegal immigrants But none for the children of Rum Cay. Maybe it will be designed as a Hurricane Centre .
a2z 8 years, 7 months ago
I almost thought birdiestrachan was being sarcastic. He/she is off the rocker. These ars backwards decisions are trademark of the PLP and becoming trademark of the Bahamas.
Sickened 8 years, 7 months ago
Its almost cheaper to fly these nine students to nassau and back every day and let them attend a school here. Or just give each kid $50k and let the government and save on a teacher a janitor and electricity for the school.
Sickened 8 years, 7 months ago
I heard China Construction got the contract.
CatIslandBoy 8 years, 7 months ago
Birdie has no shame when it comes to blindly supporting her PLP! No one is disputing that every Bahamian child deserves a good education in order to have a fighting chance in the future, however the conversation here is about the cost to educate each child. A half-million dollars is a little excessive to restore a building for 9 students. One contractor above stated that he could build an adequate school building for half of the government's projected expenditure. But Birdie, typical PLP response, let's attack the messenger, and change the subject.
NassauBoy77 8 years, 7 months ago
This seems like another waste of taxpayers money. The school has nine (9) students enrolled and we are going to waste $500k to repair. Why not a new school building? I wonder who is the recipient of this contract? Party crony???
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