State-of-the-art Five Islands Primary School all set to be constructed in Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda: The government of Antigua and Barbuda on Monday marked a significant milestone with the groundbreaking of its state-of-the-art Five Islands Primary School. This significant education project is being funded by the Saudi Fund for Development with support from the government. 

It was reported that the current Five Islands Primary School which is located near the UWI Five Islands Campus is being relocated and modernised to accommodate the expansion of the university. The project is anticipated to take around 12 to 14 months for completion. 

The groundbreaking ceremony held on Monday had in attendance Minister of Education Daryll Matthew, Leader of Government Business in the Senate Shenella Govia, Senator Michael Joseph, Member of Parliament for St John’s Rural West Richard Lewis, Director of Education Clare Browne and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Education.  

During the ceremony, Education Minister Matthew indicated that the Five Islands Primary School will be a state-of-the-art and modern education school comprising of classes from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The school will be located on approximately ten (10) acres of land in the Five Islands Village with nineteen (19) classrooms, soft spaces for kindergarten and preschool, an emergency/sick bay station, counselling spaces, a library, an IT Laboratory, a modern catering kitchen, age designated bathroom facilities, faculty lounges and an upper balcony.  

The school is designed to comfortably accommodate 600 students. In addition, the school is engineered to be climate resilient. Noteworthy features include enhanced structural integrity, water storage capacity (exceeding 40 thousand gallons), and the integration of renewable energy systems, emphasised Minister Matthew.  

He outlined that this new facility will not only enhance the quality of education in Antigua and Barbuda but will also provide a modern and climate resilient environment which meets the needs of the growing population.  

Furthermore, the Minister expressed his gratitude to the Saudi Fund for Development for its continued support in enhancing the nation’s education infrastructure.