New Dominica Grammar School to be completed by end of June 2025

Roseau, Dominica: The construction of Dominica Grammar School is expected to be completed by the end of June 2025, as revealed by Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit during his site visit on Monday January 6, 2025. In order to accelerate the construction of the project, the contractors will hire up to 45 additional employees at the site.   

The school is aimed at providing students with a top-class learning environment with specialized infrastructure. The facility will provide modern classrooms, science and computer labs, training workshops for electricals, carpentry, auto-mechanics and food preparation.  

It will also be equipped with a greenhouse with an intent to enhance resilience goals and a recreational space inclusive of football field and basketball court. The amenities of the school will also aim at providing enhanced educational services and opportunities to the students from across Dominica. 

During his site visit, PM Skerrit met with the teachers and learnt about their concerns regarding the teaching and learning environment with the progress in the construction work. Teachers and students are being provided with alternative housing arrangements, giving the contractors an opportunity to speed up their work.  

Until the construction, the fourth and fifth form students will be accommodated in a co-house nearby, while the students from first and third form will be relocated to Roseau Primary and Petite Savanne Primary School.  

PM Skerrit led the site visit 

PM Skerrit noted that the plans for this major construction has had to be modified for the enhancement of the education sector in Dominica. He said, “Our school is near completion, but as the developer and contractor stated that there is need to change the design of the rooms and other facilities.”  

PM Skerrit added that with modification, the work has increased as it is the common procedure in any kind of the construction as architects make changes, engineers give advice and in order to attain the major safety and security at the structure, they need to align with the modifications suggested by them.  

The Prime Minister expected that the June deadline would be a challenging one, but the contractors are working diligently. “It is a huge goal from my point of view as there is need of some heavy movements and lot of finishing to the structure that can be very tedious. We have to be careful with speed so that we do not compromise with the quality and structure integrity.”  

He asserted that this is important that the structure and the aesthetics appeal of the building should not be comprised.  

Talking about the school, he added that there are lifts, elevators in all the buildings and all of the floors are accessible, so that any child, in any circumstance or any teacher can access every classroom and every washroom and every part of this grammar school. 

Besides this, PM Skerrit also invited the interested individuals as they are hiring workers to pace up the construction work of Dominica. He said, “People who are interested in working to please come to the grammar school office. We are looking for new painters, laborers, carpenters to be a part of this project, and hopefully successfully complete it by June.”  

Meanwhile, Minister of Education, Octavia Alfred also expressed delight with the work and added that the good news is that they will be able access the building by the end of June. 

 “It has been a long, hard road of planning. This is not a small population to move. It's not so easy to just move them anywhere. Being secondary makes it more difficult because even if you have 4 four forms and 4 feet forms, you need more than 8 rooms because when children move for their options, you need sometimes an additional 6 rooms,” the minister added.  

Upon completion, one of the school’s mid features will be the 640 seats auditorium in Dominica.