The community of Jost Van Dyke is set to benefit from a new primary school in the near future. The official contract for the development phase of the project was signed yesterday between the Government of the Virgin Islands and AEC Consulting Engineering Ltd.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister for Education and Culture, Dr. the Honorable Natalio D. Wheatley said “let me just say very clearly, very honestly, the conditions for our young people here are not acceptable. We know that and we see that, and it is time for us to get the ball rolling and putting these young persons in a school, in a structure that they deserve and we are happy that we are at this point now.”
“I pledge to the people of Jost Van Dyke, I pledge to the district representative that for me, this is priority number one in the education system right now,” the minister further added.
After consultation with the community, Premier of the Virgin Islands, Honorable Andrew Fahie said the building will be commissioned on the hillside, above the current school in a format similar to that of the Enis Adams Primary School and reiterated the Government’s commitment to better learning facilities for students.
“This is no gimmick as we say in our language. I say all these things because what credentials do we have to make you believe that we are going to build the school? The credentials that we have is our track record,” Premier Fahie added.
The school’s current location will eventually be transformed into a state of the art recreational space as suggested by the residents of the community, once the new location is completed.
Two financial pledges were already earmarked for the recreational facility, one of which is Soggy Dollar Beach Bar.