The Clifton Hunter High School that was scheduled to open for Easter with all the accompanying hoopla has now been delayed until September. Wow. We are not talking about a few weeks but SIX months! The reason given by Hon. Rolston Anglin, the Education Minister, is “shoddy work”.

Once again we are given an explanation that is so difficult to believe. Mr. Anglin you have an Architect and a Superintendent of Works paid to inspect the works so it isn’t ‘shoddy.’ You have a government inspector who is supposed to be permanently on the site or visit the site EVERY DAY! Do you really expect us to believe that ‘shoddy work’ of such a magnitude it is going to put the project back SIX MONTHS and it was UN-NOTICED until now? I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building – a Chartered Builder – Mr. Anglin, and that reason given sounds preposterous. If this is true then heads should roll and I would be happy to be the person to execute the blade.

It is shocking that a political football (or in this case balls) should be the order of the day. Blame by the UDP on the PPM for committing the country to two schools at the same time with not sufficient funds in place to construct them and the PPM blaming the UDP for incurring costs estimated by the UDP of over $100 million each. Having seen the specifications for the two schools (John Gray is the other one) they are, in my opinion, un-necessarily high with fixtures that would not be out of place in an expensive lawyer’s office block, but how can original estimates of approximately $110 million for both schools suddenly leap to double that figure?

This is public money and we have a right to know the reasons without one party blaming the other. We want a detailed report, Mr. Anglin, as to why there is a six month delay, a comprehensive list of all the ‘shoddy work’ and the reason why it was allowed to happen and not be corrected immediately, plus a full detailed report from an independent quantity surveyor of the increase in costs. It is not me demanding this, I am speaking for the people of these Islands!

We have a RIGHT to KNOW!

With the government actually having five schools “on the go” in these hard economic times, every single material being used should be scrutinised as to whether something cheaper could be used after taking into consideration added maintenance costs. However, the priority is completing BOTH schools.

Children are our future. We spend a fortune on security and punishment when education is the key. Without education you have anarchy. Without education you have crime. Without education you don’t have knowledge.  Without education we become hostages to people who do. “Education is a form of human development that knows no end or limit (Aaron Falbel)”. If schools don’t educate, the problems this country faces in the future are enormous. If we don’t have schools, or schools are overcrowded how can we possibly have education?

Hon. Alden McLaughlin, the PPM leader, said he acknowledged that the country needed to work on the primary schools but he said it was a question of priorities as the government now was struggling to find the money to complete anything at all. Can there be a higher priority? He seems to be implying there is?

I can certainly agree with him when he says, “A lot of people still beat up on me [referring to his continuation with the two projects in the face of government’s deteriorating financial fortunes] but it was about my commitment to equity in education because it is just wrong in principle to have the kids from one area having access to all of these facilities, amenities and opportunities while other kids, just because of where they are from, do not have access.

My policy was when we do the high schools they had to be done all at once so all kids had the same opportunities. That is not what is going to happen now.”

I agree with Mr. Anglin telling Cayman News Service that the overcrowding and problems in the primary school were a priority and needed to be addressed. I have to ask when was it going to be addressed? Is his idea of ‘priority’ the same as mine?

Crime starts in the classroom. Can you possibly imagine how a crime rate would escalate without a classroom for our children? Children without education?
Education will actually save government the most money. FINISH OUR SCHOOLS NOW!