Issued by the BOARD OF TRUSTEES, GEORGE MOODY STEWART SCHOOL on September 3, 2016
The Ministry of Education and the Board of Trustees of the George Moody Stewart School announced on Saturday that the school will not be ready to receive students at the official start of the 2016 Academic Year, which is set for Monday, September 5, 2016. This difficult decision was taken in light of the result of a preliminary inspection of the school, which is currently located in the Factory Social Centre of the St. Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Corporation (SSMC) at Kittstoddarts, Basseterre.
The school’s preliminary inspection, which was jointly conducted by the Bureau of Standards/Multi-Purpose Laboratory and the Environmental Health Department within the Ministry of Health, revealed the presence of airborne asbestos fibre in the East Wing of the school’s compound. Initial assessments indicate that asbestos was used in the construction of the concrete roof of that section of the building.
In light of these unexpected developments, the re-opening of the George Moody Stewart School will be on Monday, September 12, 2016, at a temporary location to be announced in a subsequent release. It is expected that this temporary occupancy will be necessary, in the first instance, for a minimum of 90 days, or until the end of the first school term in December. By that time, the school’s management will be in a better position to determine a more long-term arrangement for the school’s relocation.
The Board, faculty and staff of the George Moody Stewart School sincerely apologise to parents and guardians for the considerable inconvenience created by this unfortunate development – which is also now a public health concern. However, parents and guardians should be assured that this matter was only confirmed by the Bureau of Standards at approximately 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 2, 2016, just three days after an official request was made for the Bureau to inspect the premises. The official confirmation from Director of the Bureau of Standards, Mr Hiram Williams, was sent via email to the Chairperson of the Board, Mrs Jennifer Dillon-Sirjue. It is naturally anticipated that parents and guardians will have concerns and questions which they would want addressed by the school’s management and staff. As such, parents and guardians are encouraged to contact either of the following two individuals:
1. School Principal – Mrs Elizabeth Condell at 667-1134 or 465-2005
2. Chairperson of the School Board – Mrs Jennifer Dillon-Sirjue at 760-3571
The Ministries of Education and Health, and the Board of Trustees the George Moody Steward School are anticipating the submission of a formal report from the Bureau of Standards, whose Director has indicated, will be submitted on Monday, September 5, 2016.