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Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Ronald Jones??
Education officials are working assiduously to resolve the myriad problems associated with finding spaces for persons over 16 years of age, who wish to further their studies in secondary schools across the island.
This was reiterated by Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Ronald Jones, recently, while speaking at the official opening of the newly built Block K at the Parkinson Memorial Secondary School.
Mr. Jones admitted that the education sector was under some pressure and that the Ministry had been "unable to achieve all that [it] had set out to achieve over the last few years.
"The success of students places demand for more educational opportunities and even now we are struggling to find places for students at the pre-sixteen level who did well at CXC.?? We do not have enough spaces.?? We were not able to bring on board [the sixth forms] at Foundation School and [The] St. Michael School, which would have taken some of the slack.
"At last count I was told we have some 300 students looking for spaces and I don’t feel comfortable about that.?? We have advised schools to look again and see how many persons can be accommodated in the existing structure," he pointed out.
The Minister also lauded those school administrators, who were able to accommodate students under the present structure.
The new block at the Parkinson Secondary School was constructed to the tune of some 6.85 million dollars, to accommodate students who were displaced by a fire in block ???C’ a few years ago.????kmoore@barbados.gov.bb