In a recent public update shared via official social media, St. Kitts and Nevis Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Dr. Geoffrey Hanley has celebrated the advancing construction of the highly anticipated new Basseterre High School, framing the landmark project as a transformative long-term investment in the nation’s youth and collective future. Hanley joined Ministry of Education officials and key local stakeholders for an on-site tour of the construction grounds on July 10, 2026, where he witnessed first-hand active work underway on the campus’s auditorium, purpose-built science laboratories, and classroom blocks A and B. During his walkthrough, the Deputy Prime Minister took time to personally connect with on-site construction crews, expressing sincere gratitude for their consistent diligence and day-to-day dedication to bringing the long-envisioned campus to life. “Seeing this plan, that we have nurtured for years, take tangible shape before my eyes is not just exciting, it is deeply heart-warming,” Hanley shared in his public post. “Every beam laid, every wall erected, reminds me of the generations of young lives that will learn, grow, and pursue their dreams within these walls.” The project timeline stretches back to December 2023, when the aging original Basseterre High School was safely demolished, followed by a 18-month pre-construction planning phase that culminated in official groundbreaking for the new build in June 2025. Announced by the federal government in December 2024, the purpose-designed campus is engineered to be fully climate-resilient, a critical feature for the Caribbean island nation that faces rising risks of extreme tropical weather. When fully completed as a turnkey facility, the school will host 32 spacious modern classrooms, preserve the iconic 400-meter running track that made the old Basseterre High campus a community sports hub, and add dedicated, regulation-standard facilities for basketball, netball, and football. In a deliberate move to prioritize local economic empowerment, the government awarded the construction contract to a Kittitian-owned firm, with project guidelines mandating that up to 95% of the entire on-site workforce be recruited from local communities. Hanley emphasized that the facility is far more than a standard educational infrastructure project, noting that both students and teaching staff have long deserved a world-class, state-of-the-art learning environment that matches their potential. “We are moving forward step by step, and every milestone we hit brings us closer to delivering the space our children and educators have earned,” he stated. “Our children deserve the very best, and this campus will be the physical embodiment of that commitment to their success.”
“Our Children Deserve the Very Best,” Geoffrey Hanley says New Basseterre High School is taking shape – WIC News
