St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN)—Prime Minister Hon. Dr Terence Drew is moving to clear the air over the Basseterre High School project, following public concerns about its cost and construction process.
The issue gained attention after it was revealed that key components of the school will be built in Barbados before being shipped to St. Kitts and Nevis.
Speaking on Freedom FM, Dr Drew defended the arrangement, pointing to the local ties of the company involved.
“The Basseterre High School is being done by a company called Preconco. It is a St. Kitts and Nevis registered company that has been around since the 90s and has done work in St. Kitts and Nevis. It is a company that is owned by a Kittitian who also have a setup in Barbados. So it’s Kittitian-owned and Kittitian-registered. It is also registered in Barbados. And so what this company is basically doing is that they’re using a new type of technology to build the foundational aspects, especially of the school, which will then be trans-shipped here in St. Kitts and Nevis to be placed, of course, to start the full construction.”
The Prime Minister explained that the company is using modern construction technology, with parts of the structure being prefabricated overseas and locally.
“Already, they have invested a significant amount of money here. The earthwork, the heavy equipment, the maintenance, security. Who has done all of that work? That work has been done by local companies here in St. Kitts and Nevis, Preconco being a local company itself. And so it is not only disingenuous; it is misleading and flat-out lying to the people of this country that all of this money will simply go to Barbados. The other thing is, this is a registered company in St. Kitts and Nevis. So if it has taxes to pay, it has to pay taxes here in St. Kitts and Nevis as well. And so that happens from time to time.”
The government is aiming to complete the project within 16 to 24 months, with shipments of key components already underway.
“But this method is getting us to build the Basseterre High School as quickly as possible. I can say today that we’re already getting the shipments of part of the foundation to be implemented, and scores of people will be hired here to work on the Basseterre High School. So I just wanted to clear the air, but we are excited that, once and for all, the Basseterre High School is being built, and we’re going to take the children out of that hot wooden building that they have that was supposed to be temporary. In 2015, I think about that, 2016 to now is 10 years that the students have been displaced. And this is the first time we are seeing significant work being done to make sure that the Basseterre High School is being built. So I wanted to clear the air on that.”
For nearly a decade, students have been housed in temporary facilities due to construction delays.
The Basseterre High School project has long been a point of political debate, with successive administrations facing criticism over unfulfilled promises.
Now the government says it is focused on delivering a permanent home for students, while debate continues over the project’s execution.
