The Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald, Minister of Education, Science and Technology was on hand early Tuesday morning to welcome students and teachers as they returned to school for the first day of the 2015/2016 academic year.

At his first stop, Claridge Primary School, Minister Fitzgerald greeted students with handshakes and warm smiles as he interacted with parents, teachers and administrators.

Set and ready to go, Minister Fitzgerald said the Ministry is “excited” and anticipates a successful school year with improvements in examination results. “We’re looking at the data and results to see which kids need intervention and what type to help them improve their academic performance,” he said.

Since 2012 extensive renovations have been made to Claridge Primary School including repairs to roofs, painting, replacement of fans, upgrades to restrooms and general maintenance at a cost of $500,000. Approximately $75,000 has been spent on summer repairs and general maintenance for the reopening of school.

Sharon Robinson, Principal, said the school, comprising a population of over 700 students, 25 classroom teachers and 8 specialist teachers, is prepared and ready to make a mark of excellence in the education system this year.

“We’ve reviewed schemes and upgraded lessons for our kids to be better taught and more prepared for the assessments that are going to follow. We’ve put into place monthly assessments at every grade level so that we can track our kids more closely and correct the incidentals that need to be corrected,” she said.

Minister Fitzgerald also visited C. I. Gibson Senior High School, S.C. McPherson Junior High School, and E.P. Roberts Primary School.