Nestled in a rural community, More Tomorrow Primary School has pulled back from the brink of permanent closure, securing a last-minute reprieve that has eased tensions among local families — though its long-term future hangs in the balance, education officials have confirmed.
Weeks of growing anxiety among parents and community members over the potential shutdown prompted education authorities to step in, hammering out an emergency agreement to keep the small campus open through the immediate term. The most pressing change to the school’s operations is the addition of a third full-time teaching position, which will lift a heavy workload from the two existing educators who began the 2026 academic year juggling more than 30 students spread across multiple grade levels.
Education Minister Francis Fonseca confirmed the interim arrangement in a press briefing, noting that while the immediate crisis has been averted, ministry teams will continue evaluating whether the school’s current low enrollment can support ongoing operations in the years ahead. “The school will remain open. We have employed another teacher, so there’s another teacher on site now,” Fonseca said. “The ministry continues to engage with the school community. There are challenges that remain, as I noted previously, but progress is being made to work through them. A productive meeting between school leadership, the chief education officer and her team, and local residents has produced a forward-looking plan to address the most pressing issues, and I believe we have a workable solution for the short term.”
Even with the interim plan in place, Fonseca stressed that long-term questions remain unanswered. “There are only 30 students enrolled at the school total, so we have to continue assessing long-term viability. Whether it is sustainable to keep this school operating at its current site is still an open question, and we will continue reviewing that moving forward,” he added.
Beyond enrollment and staffing, the ministry is also working through delays to rural student transportation services, a top complaint from local families. Fonseca explained that the delays stem from a new contract approval process rolled out this academic year, which requires all school bus service contracts — even small, local agreements — to undergo review by the office of the contractor general. The new protocol has caused unexpected hold-ups, but the minister expects all transportation issues to be resolved within the coming days.
Complicating the school’s long-term outlook is the fact that one of its two current teachers, who also serves as principal, is scheduled to retire next year. That upcoming vacancy adds another layer of uncertainty to efforts to maintain the school’s operations, even as the community celebrates the temporary reprieve from closure.
This report is adapted from a televised evening news transcript.