Freeport, Grand Bahama – Following widespread frustration from parents over a multi-day unannounced power outage at Hugh Campbell Primary School, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has confirmed it will relocate all students off-campus starting next week to facilitate full repairs of faulty underground electrical cabling that cut power to the Mahogany Street facility. The unplanned outage, which left the school without electricity for two consecutive days earlier this week, prompted dozens of complaints from caregivers who stated they received zero official communication from school or ministry leadership about the disruption, even as they arrived to drop off their children for classes. A concerned parent who reached out to local outlet The Tribune noted that powerless classrooms lacked adequate artificial lighting and functional ventilation systems, creating unsafe, unsuitable learning conditions for young students. The parent emphasized that while unforeseen infrastructure failures are understandable, transparent, timely updates to families are non-negotiable, as the educational progress, safety and overall well-being of enrolled children must be the administration’s top priority. When Tribune reporters visited the campus mid-week, the power supply was still fully offline; administrative staff had propped open office doors to circulate natural air, while students spent their lunch period outdoors as in-person classes continued without early dismissal at that point, even with no functioning utilities. The school principal was not present on campus during the visit, and on-site education representatives deferred all comments to the national Director of Education, who later released the formal public ministry statement. In the official announcement, the education ministry confirmed that all Hugh Campbell Primary students were dismissed at 1 p.m. on the Thursday of the outage week, with an identical early dismissal scheduled for the following Friday, before full relocation takes effect once repair supplies are delivered on site. Technical teams have been mobilized to complete the full wiring replacement project in roughly seven days, with temporary alternate learning arrangements coordinated to avoid extended loss of instructional hours for pupils. The ministry noted that full details of the relocation logistics will be shared directly with all parents and guardians via the school’s administrative team, and apologized for the significant disruption to families, while thanking the broader school community for its patience amid the works. This incident is the latest in a string of widely criticized power failure disruptions at public government schools across the region since the fall academic term kicked off in September. Deputy Prime Minister and sitting Education Minister Chester Cooper has previously framed such outages as minor inconveniences, noting that official ministry guidance directs school staff to continue holding in-person classes whenever possible rather than sending students home immediately following a power cut. The ongoing spate of school electrical failures has drawn repeated public pushback from Opposition deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright, who has repeatedly pressed the sitting administration to release a formal, documented contingency plan outlining how the education system will sustain normal school operations during extended, unplanned power outages. Hugh Campbell Primary has a well-documented history of severe power-related disruptions: back in June 2014, the facility was one of 18 Grand Bahama public schools that had their service fully disconnected by Grand Bahama Power Company, after the government accumulated more than $1 million in unpaid utility bills, an issue that was only resolved when the Ministry of Finance stepped in to settle the outstanding debt.