ANSWERS BY THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND CULTURE
 HONOURABLE MYRON V. WALWYN
AT THE NINTH SITTING OF THE
 FIRST SESSION OF THE
 THIRD HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
THURSDAY JUNE 23, 2016

Questions And Answers For Additional School Year

The Member for the Third District to ask the Honourable Minister for Education and Culture the following questions:

Question 1

Madam Speaker, could the Minister for Education and Culture please tell this Honourable House:

1. What was the ratio of grades to classrooms before he added the one grade to the Elmore Stoutt High School

Madam Speaker, the classrooms are not divided by grades but by departments.  Students move throughout the day to their various subjects.  Therefore rooms have been assigned to the various departments and empty rooms are utilised as needed by teachers without assigned rooms.  The various departments have the following number of assigned classrooms and Lab spaces:

Maths Department    11

English                        16

Social Science           15

Science                       12

Business                      8

Visual Arts                   6

Spanish                        7

Music                            9

For the annual End of Year examinations, each class is assigned a room. Madam Speaker it would be easier to give a ratio at the primary where students do not move for class levels. In addition Madam

Speaker, there would be more rooms available if Block A which was demolished prior to 2011, was rebuilt.

2. How many classrooms is he adding to the Elmore Stoutt High School;

Answer:

Madam Speaker, a master plan has been developed for the campus which will    separate the Junior and Senior sections. The realisation of this plan is to be        realised over a period in a phased way.               

In the first phase the Ministry proposes to add thirty two (32) rooms, twenty eight (28) classrooms and four (4) bathrooms – fourteen classrooms and two bathrooms to the junior school and the same for the senior school.

3. What will the ratio of grades to classrooms be with the additional grade and the new classrooms at the Elmore Stoutt High School?

Answer:

Classrooms are not assigned to grades but more so to departments.  Students move to their various classes on a daily basis.

The new rooms will not be based on class groups but more so subject areas to ensure a smoother flow of students throughout the day.  Teachers will be assigned rooms in the sections allotted for the department and this will minimise having teachers traverse the campus for empty spaces.

Thank you Madam Speaker