The Ministry of Education is putting together three teams that will conduct site visits of several government schools across Antigua today as preparations for the start of the 2025-26 Academic Year intensify.
Director of Education, Clare Browne said both he and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ena Dalso Henry, will each head one of the teams that will go out during the morning hours to visit as many schools as possible. In the afternoon, the third team will be led by Minister of Education, Daryll Matthew.
Director Browne explained that the purpose of the trip is to get a first-hand look at the conditions at the various schools, especially in light of the fact that several schools had varying repairs and or renovation work done during the summer months.
“These upgrades were carried out by persons contracted by the Board of Education. The reports we have received are that everything is in place to accommodate the students when they return to the classroom on Monday, the start of the school year. The ministry sees the need to see for itself the work done on the schools in preparation for the arrival of the students,” he further explained.
He reported that significant work was done on a number of schools. These include the Clare Hall Secondary where a new concrete block has been added to replace wooden structures; at the Antigua Grammar School a new Home Economics building has been completed and new bathroom facilities have been constructed at Ottos Comprehensive after the old bathrooms had to be abandoned.
As preparations for the new school year move into top gear, the ministry will convene meetings on Wednesday with heads of department within the schools to discuss new guidelines that it wishes to implement in the new school year.
According to Director Browne these meetings with the heads of departments, such as the English Department or Language Art Department, are aimed at discussing issues related to the relevant subjects so that the heads may go back to the schools and implement the new guidelines.
He said the preparations continue with professional development training in the schools and he gave an example of the teachers in Zone Three (Cobbs Cross to Bendals) who will have their training on Friday.
The teachers returned to the classrooms on Monday to begin preparing the classrooms for next Monday. During the week, there are staff meetings that have been planned with teachers and their principals in the various schools.
