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The new Chatham government primary school in southwest Trinidad has been commissioned.
For many years, residents of Chatham and environs had been clamouring for a new school. The original school was over 100 years old and had infrastructural problems.
Work on the school started in 2013 under the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led administration. It was 50 per cent completed at the cost of $17 million when the PNM took office in 2015.
Since 2014, students were "temporarily relocated" to an ECCE centre in Point Fortin.
In January 2020, the MTS was contracted to complete the project at a budget of $13 million.
After the commissioning ceremony on Monday, Lennox Rattansingh, CEO of MTS, told reporters that the school was completed at the cost of $9 million within nine months.
The students were relocated to the Southern Gardens ECCE centre in Point Fortin.
The Prime Minister delivered the feature address at the ceremony.
Dr Rowley recalled that in 2014, the revenue stream was low.
His administration borrowed $14 billion to close the gap between revenue and expenditure in its first year of office.
He said when the pandemic came in 2020, the country did not have the money it usually had compared to previous years.
“In 2021, the pandemic is still alive and the virus roaring around the world.”
The Government made several decisions, some of which Rowley said were painful.
The Government had to prioritise its spending on the school building programme.
“From 2015 to now in the programme, we spent well over $1.5 billion. Having already spent $1.5 billion, we are contracted to another $2 billion in construction and $1 billion to outfit the schools.”
As prime minister, he said one of the most painful days for him was coming face-to-face with a government programme that was supposed to cost $9 million. Instead, it cost $447 million.
“The difference between the $9 million and $447 million is naked unadulterated criminal activity.”
Education Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister in the Ministry Lisa Morris-Julian, Point Fortin MP Kennedy Richards Jr and Government and Rural Development Minister Kazim Hosein also attended the ceremony.
Gadsby-Dolly considered the new school a beautiful edifice in the Chatham district.
She said education continues to be one of the government's top priorities.
Earlier in the day, Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal wrote to her complaining that the covid19 vaccination sites for the Pfizer vaccine do not include "highly populated centres" in his constituency.
Of the 14 designated sites across the country, none included Penal, Debe and Barrackpore.
Commenting on the opposition MP’s letter, Gadsby-Dolly said additional sites mean faster vaccination.
But having more sites requires more staff, she said.
"If we (ministry) can get more volunteers, and if we had staffing for more than 14 sites, we would set up more," she told reporters.
"In the meantime, we are calling on parents to ensure that they take their children to be vaccinated."
The minister recalled that the Government introduced online schooling, many people missed attending physical school.
As a parent of two children in secondary school, she intends to take them to get the vaccine.
Dexter Mitchell, a past pupil, also attended the ceremony. He is Chatham Village Council head and principal of Presentation College in San Fernando.
Principal Arthurson Logie and St Patrick educational district school supervisor, Anthony Ramjit, also gave remarks.

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