The Government of Dominica continues to recognize the importance the importance of child friendly learning environments. The Government recently provided the resources and infrastructure to ensure a comfortable learning environment for students of the Grand Bay Primary School.
One hundred thousand dollars was made available to improve the school’s auditorium.
Parliamentary Representative for the Grand Bay Constituency Hon. Justina Charles highlighted this during her address at the Grand Bay Primary School leaving ceremony last week.
She said, “Government spent in excess of one hundred thousand dollars to repair the entire auditorium. In terms of window repairs, painting, plumbing, electrical works government spent funds to improve on the whole ambiance of this area.”
Mrs. Charles mentioned a fencing project which was also financed by Government in excess of a further one hundred thousand dollars to add security to the school environment.
“To ensure the security of your children, the teachers and all those who are using this facility, Government also spent in excess of one hundred thousand dollars to fence the property and we must recognize all of that.”
The school’s Principal, Evans James said work on the Grand Bay Primary School’s Basketball Hard Court was made possible through funding and material provided by government. Evans told those attending the graduation ceremony that works on the basketball hard court should be completed in time for the new school year.
“When school reopens in September, you may see the completion of the hard court at the back of the school where the children will play netball and basketball. All these things are happening through the brave efforts of Mrs. Charles.”
Hon. Charles was instrumental in getting the funds and materials to execute the work on the school’s basketball hard court. She is delighted that this project is nearing completion.
“As Mr. James said earlier the hard court for basketball and rounders and netball should have been completed and I can tell you Mr. James kept me busy. I in turn kept Mr. Charles, the Account Officer in the Ministry of Education busy to ensure that we could get the material and pay for the labour. Presently we’re at a stage where we can close up shop on the project. I’m hoping that during the summer we can see the completion.”
Providing the physical infrastructure is not the only contribution coming from government to the students of the Grand Bay District.
Mrs. Charles noted that significant sums have been spent on meeting the transportation costs of students attending the Pierre Charles Secondary School.
“I know for Grand Bay we do not get assistance with transportation, but I can tell you for example in Tete Morne and Dubic the students who attend the Pierre Charles Secondary, Government spent in excess of four thousand dollars on a monthly basis to pay drivers to take their children to school. We can well appreciate that when one mother has two or three children to send to school how much it would cost them on a monthly basis to do so. Government is assisting in that manner to ensure no child stays home because their mother didn’t have the money to pay the bus drivers to send them to school and so we [Government] are doing that.”