The Minister of Rural Development and Local Government and Member of Parliament for St. Augustine, Khadijah Ameen joined the staff and volunteers at Curepe Presbyterian School for the clean up of overgrown bushes surrounding the incompleted school.
Construction of the building next door to the Curepe Presbyterian School was almost complete in 2015 when the PNM government came into office.
On Saturday Member of Parliament for St. Augustine and Minister of Rural Development and Local Government, Khadijah Ameen joined volunteers in removing debris and overgrown bushes that surround the abandoned building.
“This school was constructed under the People’s Partnership Government, it was left abandoned for the ten years that the PNM was in government, it has been vandalized. What you see here today looks beautiful compared to what it was because it has been overgrown with vines , bushes. Our councillor constantly had to be doing rat baiting in the area, sending people to clear the perimeter and so on just for safety reasons. In the last three weeks or so, we have had several break ins here. In fact, there’s a bandit that we don’t know if he was living part timing in part of the structure.”
In April 2024 only the auditorium of the new building was opened by the former government, while the rest of the school remains closed.
Ms. Ameen highlighted while the incomplete structure remains vacant, students and teachers face several challenges daily in the old school building.
“Essentially, what we had under the last government was 5 million dollars allocated only to build the auditorium. So while our remain in the current facility, which is infested with pigeons, the sewer system giving problems, you have rats and so on there, they are cramped in the classrooms,we have the students block on this side that is in need of repair well it’s an entire refurbishment that has to take place. There’s also an administrative block.”
The Principal of the school explained that countless efforts have been made to manage the situation, however all pleas went unheard.
“I am so happy that we have a PTA who is willing to work hard to assist in rebuilding this school and I am so happy that Ms Khadija Ameen is here to highlight the need for our school. As she said before, We are having a lot of issues with the old building. Pigeons, rats a lot of vermin and it will be a blessing that we could have our new school.”
Curepe Presbyterian School will be one of the beneficiaries of the ‘School Repair Programme’ by the Ministry Of Education during the July/August period as stated by the Minister of Rural Development and Local Government.