The Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development will on Monday, November 18, 2019, officially open five new preschools in Dominica with a ceremony at the Belles Primary School. The facilities have been constructed with funding from The Maria Holder Memorial Trust of Barbados.
Following the passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017, The Maria Holder Memorial Trust undertook construction of the Belles, Warner, Trafalgar, Roseau and Concord Pre Schools.
Under the project, work on the Wotten Waven Primary School and Preschool is expected to begin in early 2020.
The project, undertaken by Argo Development Studio Inc., was completed in two phases. Phase one involved the refurbishment of the primary schools to include new windows and doors, repairs to kitchens and roofs, painting, fencing, upgrading of bathrooms and construction of new classroom blocks. The second phase was the construction of the new Pre-Kindergarten Units attached to the primary schools.
“We are happy to support the Government of Dominica’s agenda of ensuring quality access to early childhood education for children aged 3 to 5 in Dominica.
“These schools will assist in providing climate-resilient educational places to help Dominica and the region move one step closer to achieving universal access to early childhood education,” said Jane Armstrong, Consultant/Advisor to The Maria Holder Memorial Trust.
The Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development has welcomed the support of The Maria Holder Memorial Trust as efforts continue to rebuild the island’s education infrastructure following the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria, which caused damage to 84 percent of school plants.
“We continue to be grateful for the valuable assistance provided to us to repair our schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The Maria Holder Memorial Trust has made a most significant contribution in that regard with the construction of five preschools and the commitment to begin work on another. This is expected to boost access to education in these communities and assist us to improve the quality of education that the Ministry provides,” said Chandler Hyacinth, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development.
Monday’s ceremony will include remarks from representatives of The Maria Holder Memorial Trust as well as Minister for Education & Human Resource Development Petter Saint-Jean. President of Dominica, His Excellency Charles Savarin will also attend.
