Education Minister Defends Controversial Merger of Glanvilles and Pares Secondary Schools Amid Community Backlash

Education Minister Daryll Matthew is defending the controversial merger of Glanvilles Secondary School and Pares Secondary School, a decision that has sparked significant community backlash.

This announcement, approved by the Cabinet last week, will take effect in September, when the new academic year begins.

Since the announcements, there have been mixed feelings from the public.

The community response was swift, culminating in protests led by local parent Franz DeFrietas, who expressed frustration over the unexpected nature of the decision.

Minister Matthew defended the merger, stating it was essential due to the ineffective allocation of resources. Both schools operated far below their capacity, resulting in unsustainable teaching conditions.

He highlighted that each school has about 150 to 160 students, sometimes leading to classes with just two students.

Matthew reassured parents about potential transportation costs and hardships by pledging that the government’s uniform voucher program would provide additional support for students making the transition from Glanvilles to Pares Secondary.

He emphasized that measures would be in place to prevent financial strain on families during this transition.

Additionally, he promised significant upgrades to Pares Secondary over the summer to ensure that incoming students from Glanvilles would not face lesser facilities.

The minister also announced that Glanvilles will be reimagined as the new location for the School of Agriculture, which was initially planned for the former Bethesda School site. He explained that redeveloping Bethesda would be costly and time-consuming, making repurposing Glanvilles a more immediate solution to address food security needs.

The new agricultural program will be integrated into the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies, kicking off at the TVET level in September, with existing international partnerships to aid in curriculum development.

Matthew noted that while Glanvilles will focus on hydroponic and aquaponics studies, Bethesda, once operational, could specialize in animal husbandry.