Hope Estate:--- The agreement to expand and maintain the Genevieve De Weever Primary School was finally signed on Wednesday by Leader of Government and commissioner of education William Marlin and the contractor from FM Contracting that will begin the construction work and maintenance that will cost the island government and USONA a total of 3,157,232.12 Antillean guilders . The project which is expected to last about one year is to build five much needed class rooms said the commissioner of education. Marlin said the maintenance for the school falls under division A and will cost Naf. 1,592,903.88 while division B which is to improve and construct the second floor will cost Naf 229,613.04. Marlin said the total cost of the project will cost Naf. 3,157,232.12.Principal of the school Mrs. A. Doncker Rogers said the expansion and upgrading of the Genevieve De Weever School has taken 15 years before the project could be realized. She said she was involved in lengthy discussions to have the project realized. Doncker-Rogers said the importance of education is something they could not put aside and when one wants to educate a child they can do so under a tree and achieve the same results. However because of the hurricanes and other natural disasters it is necessary for educators to have secure building which is conducive to learning. She said because of their determination to educate they held on to the wooden building and containers that are being used as makeshift classrooms.
Doncker said when the construction begins the students attending the school as well as the teachers will face some inconveniences. The intention is to move at least four of the classrooms to the University of St. Maarten while the construction takes place. The school principal said she has a resilient staff will cooperate to make the inconveniences as pleasant as possible for the staff, students and parents as they are sure the end results would be in the interest of everyone.Head of New Projects Kurt Ruan also said they have been working on this project for years but somehow it took years before it could have been realized. Ruan said on several occasions when he would see Doncker on the road he could not provide answers as to when the project would have been finalized.
Commissioner of Education William Marlin said some 15 years ago government bought the property in Hope Estate to construct a few buildings for social projects, including the Genevieve De Weever School, another sets of classrooms for early stimulation students and the senior citizens home. Marlin said when he entered government in 1994 was to make sure schools and other facilities are built the same way investors are leasing and purchasing land for privatized businesses. He said back then one of the excuses that were used was that government did not have land space to construct schools. Marlin said 15 years ago just two days prior to election then a few persons gathered to conduct the ground breaking ceremony to construct the current building that housed the school. He said it is like a leap of faith that now again two days before this election they gathered to sign off on the agreement to expand and maintain the school. Marlin said unfortunately when he left government in 1999 the plans that were in place to continue the expansion was either aborted or shelved.