Official Commissioning of the Chatham Government Primary School

After seven years the children of Chatham Village and environs can finally welcome their new school as Prime Minister Dr the Hon Keith Rowley officially commissioned the new Chatham Government Primary School today (Monday 16th August, 2021).

In February 2014 the 103-year-old school, plagued with numerous structural issues, was temporarily relocated to the ECCE Centre at Heliconia Boulevard, Southern Gardens, Point Fortin, to make way for the demolition of the old and construction of the new building.

Today, the new building, which came in under budget, includes seven classrooms, an audio-visual room, science lab, music room and multipurpose hall. The new building and additional space also allows for greater student capacity and can now facilitate more than twice the current enrollment.

The Prime Minister in his feature address said the school is an important addition to the education infrastructure of Trinidad and Tobago.

Dr Rowley said education is a primary responsibility of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, where over time we “improve the old with the new, the smaller with the larger and the few with the many.”

Dr Rowley also made a plea to the community to vaccinate themselves and their children against Covid-19 saying “wherever there are human beings, this pandemic is a threat.”

He said, “we need to protect our children by getting them vaccinated so that we can live with this virus as we are required to do.”

Minister of Education, Dr the Hon Nyan Gadsby-Dolly also gave remarks saying “education continues to remain one of this Government’s top priorities.” Minister Gadsby-Dolly thanked the students, teachers and parents for their patience and said the new facility will provide modern opportunities for teachers and students alike.

Attendees at the commissioning event included the Minister of Rural Development and Local Government, Senator the Hon Kazim Hosein, Minister in the Ministry of Education, the Hon Lisa Morris-Julien and Member of Parliament for Point Fortin, the Hon Kennedy Richards Jr.