$10.8m program to build 15 new NT school classrooms will help economy during crisis, says NT Government
FIFTEEN new school classrooms will be built in the NT at a cost of $10.8 million to help stimulate the construction industry during the coronavirus pandemic
Education
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FIFTEEN new school classrooms for Territory communities will be built by the NT Government to help stimulate the construction industry during the coronavirus pandemic.
The $10.8 million education stimulus will see 15 prefabricated classrooms built, most of which will be delivered to remote communities when it is safe to do so.
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Education minister Selena Uibo said the project and its delivery was important to maintain both jobs and wellbeing in the Territory during the pandemic
“Transportable classrooms are an excellent way to continue investing in our bush school infrastructure, while strict quarantine measures are in place to protect our vulnerable remote communities,” she said.
“By investing in school infrastructure, we are not only supporting the local construction industry, we are investing in the futures of the Territory’s most important asset: our children.”
The final projects will be determined by community consultation, educational need, student numbers and the condition of existing infrastructure.
The project is expected to support at least 55 jobs.
Education department chief executive Karen Weston said plans for term two were still to be determined
“(Pupil free days) are really important to our teaching staff. They have been set aside so teachers can plan for more flexible delivery in term two,” she said.
“We all know the plan is for school to be compulsory from term two.”
Ms Weston said only 26 students had turned up today to Leanyer Primary school, where two children had attended who were revealed to be siblings of a child who tested positive to coronavirus on the weekend.
The child, aged under two years old, became the third person in her family to be infected after testing positive.
But NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles said yesterday that neither the two siblings, nor any other family members, had tested positive and the whole family had been self-isolating.
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“Attendance has dropped quite a bit, it was last week about 40 per cent and today its about 5 per cent,” Ms Weston said.
“We’ve also had health at the school today to answer any questions from parents or staff.”
Advice from the health department was for the school to remain open, while the school community was at very low risk, she said.
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