The Dominican government has handed three schools to community leaders after they were renovated. The Wills Strathmore Stevens Primary School (WSSPS), Morne Jaune Primary School, and the Delices Primary School were refurbished and handed over to community managers. The three schools were rehabilitated at the cost of EC$2.1 million with funding from Canada, the CDB, and the Climate Resilience and Restoration Project.
Top government officials that were on hand to celebrate the commissioning of the schools at their various locations were MP for the Morne Jaune Riviere Cyrique Constituency, Greta Roberts; Parliamentary Representative for La Plaine Constituency, Kent Edwards; Minister of Education, Octavia Alfred; Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Reginald Austrie; Minister of State for Blue/Green Economy, Gregory Riviere; and MP for Marigot Constituency, Lennox Linton.
Others were Canadian High Commissioner in Barbados, Lilian Chatterjee; and CDB’s Chief of Social Sector Division, Deidre Clarendon, among others.
Greta Roberts said the people of Morne Jaune were grateful for the school and said the renovation indicates the government’s dedication to quality education in the community. Kent Edwards said “this beautiful, functional rehabilitated building that will provide the ideal setting for our children’s learning, socialization and care.” And Octavia Alfred stated the schools will open a new chapter in the delivery of quality education for all in Dominica.
CDB’s Deidre Clarendon expressed joy at the schools, saying rehabilitated school facilities impact teachers, students, and parents alike.
School facilities affect teacher recruitment, commitment and effort,” she clarified. “For students, school facilities affect health, behaviour, the engagement and learning and provision of basic services such as nutrition for disadvantaged learners.
Deidre Clarendon
The Canadian High Commissioner, Her Excellency Lillian Chatterjee, said the government of Canada promised to donate CAD$100 million to the reconstruction of damaged facilities in Dominica after the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017. She revealed that CAD$9.25 million out of the total pledge was alloted to the restoration of five primary schools across the island.
UWP Opposition Leader Lennox Linton also credited the DLP administration for the school renovation, saying it will boost primary education and community development.
So we continuously improve. We go from strength and strength. I express the hope and prayer that these new facilities that we commission today will redound to the benefit of the community as never before and will in fact be the platform on which we continue to rise to higher levels of education, advancement, leadership opportunities for ourselves here in Marigot and Dominica as a whole.
Hon. Lennox Linton, MP for Marigot Constituency
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