Jordan wants Alma Parris School reopened

Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, Colin Jordan, has added his voice to those calling for the reopening of the Alma Parris School.

During debate in the House of Assembly today on a supplementary of $175 000 for the Ann Hill School, Jordan said it was important to the Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) goal of no one being left behind.

He said Alma Parris, which was located in his constituency of St Peter, would require “some good funds” and in joining the call from Minister of Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde, a lifelong educator, he appealed to civil society organisations to partner with Government to reopen the school.

These groups, Jordan said, could help with refurbishing the plant, for example.

Alma Parris School catered to children with learning challenges.

It was opened in 1996 for students with low scores in the Common Entrance Examination and provided them with the environment to learn at a different pace.

It was closed in September 2017 after then Minister of Education Ronald Jones said it had received no new students since 2015 and had failed in its mandate.

Current Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw said the school at Major Walk, Speightstown, would be reopened, even if under “a different model”. The reopening was also a manifesto promise of the Barbados Labour Party. (SAT)