In 2016 all school buildings on Saba will offer a good learning environment for teachers and pupils. "New and well kept school buildings contribute to good education.
I am proud that together with the island government we will arrange for well maintained school buildings for all pupils and teachers on Saba. They truly deserve that", so the Minister of Education, Culture and Science (Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap – OCW) Marja van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart declared. The Education Housing Plan Saba 2012-2016, which Education Commissioner of the Public Entity Saba, Mr. Chris Johnson, and the Minister of Education, Culture and Science signed on October 10th provides for the improvement of all school buildings on Saba.
"Hereby I express my hartfelt thanks to the team of the Ministry of OCW for their continued efforts to bring the educational sector of Saba to a higher level. I would specifically like to thank the Minister of Education, Culture and Science Marja van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart for playing an overall lead role for the development of the educational sector of the BES islands. She created a blueprint for the cooperation between the BES islands and the Dutch Ministries for the future" according to Commissioner of Education from Saba, Chris Johnson.
Currently at the Saba Comprehensive all practice lessons are given in the former leather factory which has been restored and the school yard and some other rooms of the Saba Comprehensive School have been renovated. Between now and 2016 Between now and 2015 the execution of the remaining building and renovation projects for the schools on Saba will take place. Afterwards the St. Johns complex will be as new again.
The signing of this Education Housing Plan is a result of the agreements made on June 27th by the Commissioner and the Minister on education housing. This plan is financed by the Public Entity Saba and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The Executive Council will invest 1.3 million US dollar and the OCW Ministry 7.6 million. The Public Entity Saba and
OCW, together with the School Boards, will manage the building projects. The Kingdom Building Department (Rijksgebouwendienst) will guide the execution. The investments in the education housing on the Dutch Caribbean islands are a reflection of the joint responsibility of the Kingdom government and the Public Entities with regard to education on Saba, Saba and Sint Eustatius. As of October 10th 2010, these islands are special municipalities of the Netherlands.