Eshs Fixes
Education Minister Sharie deCastro has outlined measures to address persistent air-conditioning and water-supply problems at Elmore Stoutt High School, saying corrective work is underway and future school designs will include these systems from the outset. One building has already been fitted with AC and a second installation is planned for this year, while the ministry is also increasing water supply after cisterns were omitted from the original construction.
Education Minister Sharie deCastro has confirmed the government is taking a phased approach to fix long-standing air-conditioning and water supply problems at Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) in Lower Estate. Speaking on the Talking Points radio programme, deCastro said the new school buildings were not designed to accommodate air conditioning, so the Ministry of Education has had to retrofit units after construction. "When the school, the new facilities were built, air conditioning was not factored in," she said, adding that one building has already been outfitted and a second is scheduled for installation this year, subject to available funding.
The minister also pointed to the absence of cisterns in the original construction as a major contributor to the school's water challenges. Cisterns, which provide on-site water storage, were not included in the design, she said, leaving the campus vulnerable to supply interruptions. "There’s just a reality that we do have water challenges at the school," deCastro said, adding that the ministry has implemented a plan to increase the campus’s water supply.
DeCastro noted that support from the Water and Sewerage Department (WSD) and the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) has helped manage outages, but stressed the disruption caused when schools must close due to lack of water or power. "There’s nothing more painful than closing schools because of no water or electricity," she said.
Officials say the experience at ESHS has reshaped how the ministry will approach future school construction. New standards have been intentionally scoped to address practical needs up front: soundproof music rooms, better positioning of bathrooms, robust electrical systems, hand-drying facilities and other infrastructure considerations will be built into designs rather than added later.
To strengthen technical oversight, the ministry has hired two engineers to monitor school infrastructure work. For BVI parents and staff, the minister’s comments signal a commitment to improving learning conditions and reducing interruptions, but also underline that some fixes will be incremental and depend on available funding.
The ministry has urged the community to watch for updates as work continues and as plans for future school projects are finalised.
Primary source: BVI News