Education Minister On PHC Lease Agreement
Education Minister Dame Jennifer Smith spoke in the House of Assembly this morning [May 25] about the PHC lease, saying the agreement came to her attention this year and she has asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers to advise her of its validity four years after the date of its signing.
Dame Jennifer said the 20-year-deal called for PHC to provide the facility and the programmes for $442 per student/per year; with the proviso that this sum would not be less than $391,000 per year, amounting to a value of approximately $8 million by the time it concludes.
Earlier this month it was reported that the Education Ministry agreed to pay PHC as much as $10 million, spread over a 20-years, for schools in the area to use the club’s multi-dimensional complex, which has not yet been built. The deal does not come into effect until the facility is completed. It was signed in 2008, and not publicly disclosed by Government.
Shadow Education Minister Dr Grant Gibbons responded to the news saying Parliament should have been informed at the time the deal was signed, and questioned whether there have been other “secret financial deals that commit taxpayers’ money” that the Government has not disclosed
Dame Jennifer said that in September 2008, the then Minister of Education [Elvin James] entered into the agreement, which would allow students from the Warwick and Paget Preschools, Purvis Primary, Heron Bay Primary, Gilbert Primary, Paget Primary and TN Tatem Middle School to use the facilities.
“The terms of the agreement mean that PHC must make the facility available to each school on request during the school day (unless there is a conflict due to a request by another member of the family of schools),” said Dame Jennifer.
“The facility may be used for students each week from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9 and 4. And, the hours may be extended to 5 p.m. on each of these days at no additional fee.”
Dame Jennifer also said that the Ministry shall have exclusive use of the facility when required for students, and PHC must ensure that other patrons do not interfere with use by students and staff.
In addition, the facility can also be used for prize-givings, ceremonial events and recreational events organised by the schools or their Parent Teacher Associations at no additional fee.
“And – the Facility will be made available to the Ministry of Education for the purpose of conducting meetings. School staff will be able to use the facility at no additional fee; while parents and guardians will benefit from a discounted rate,” said Dame Jennifer.
Dame Jennifer said the “agreement came to my attention this year and, in light of the economic climate, I have asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers to advise me of its validity four years after the date of its signing given that we currently do not have a completion date for the facility.
“Members and the community can be assured that I will ensure transparency as we move forward,” said Dame Jennifer.
Dame Jennifer’s full statement follows below:
Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to once again explain – for the benefit of the listening public – the difference between the Parliamentary process which allows for constructive criticism and politicalsation and electioneering.
I do this to ensure that members of the public will know that Members of Parliament do not have to resort to either the print media or electronic media to get their questions answered.
Every week, in this place, opportunity is offered for just such discourse – through Parliamentary questions.
Mr. Speaker, the Opposition generally use Parliamentary Questions to ask about travel and the number of teachers and students.
So I was surprised that they chose to ignore this avenue to get their questions about the matter of a 2008 agreement signed between the Pembroke Hamilton Club (PHC) and the Ministry of Education answered.
Regardless of the fact that this is yet another example of the Opposition ignoring the Parliamentary oath that they swore – Mr. Speaker – I will answer the unasked question.
My research indicates that in September, 2008, the then Minister of Education entered into an agreement to provide for the implementation of a wellness curriculum for preschool, primary and middle school students within the TN Tatem cluster of schools.
This cluster includes the Warwick and Paget Preschools, Purvis Primary, Heron Bay Primary, Gilbert Primary, Paget Primary Schools and TN Tatem Middle School.
The agreement called for the Pembroke Hamilton Club to provide the facility and the programmes for four hundred and forty-two dollars per student / per year; with the proviso that this sum would not be less than three hundred and ninety-one thousand dollars per year.
The terms of the agreement mean that PHC must make the facility available to each school on request during the school day (unless there is a conflict due to a request by another member of the family of schools).
The facility may be used for students each week from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9 and 4. And, the hours may be extended to 5 p.m. on each of these days at no additional fee.
In addition, the Ministry shall have exclusive use of the facility when required for students, and PHC must ensure that other patrons do not interfere with use by students and staff.
Mr. Speaker, the Facility can also be used for prize-giving exercises, ceremonial events and recreational events organised by the schools or their Parent Teacher Associations – at no additional fee.And – the Facility will be made available to the Ministry of Education for the purpose of conducting meetings.
School staff will be able to use the facility at no additional fee; while parents and guardians will benefit from a discounted rate.
Mr. Speaker, the agreement comes into operation when agreed by the Ministry of Education and PHC; but not before the facility has been granted a certificate of completion.
The agreement remains in effect for twenty years from the date of its coming into operation.
Mr. Speaker, the result is that this agreement will have a value of approximately eight million dollars by the time it concludes.
Mr. Speaker, I want honourable members to know that this agreement came to my attention this year and, in light of the economic climate, I have asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers to advise me of its validity four years after the date of its signing given that we currently do not have a completion date for the facility.
Mr. Speaker, Members and the community can be assured that I will ensure transparency as we move forward.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, let me repeat the Oath we have sworn: “I being a Member of this present Assembly, do swear by Almighty God to use and employ my best endeavour therein for the general good, without any respect to private interest, gain or advantage, striving to discharge a good conscience in all equity and integrity during my continuance therein.”
Thank you.
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back tracking…..
One thing about Dame Jennifer is that she doesn’t play. I expect her to be above board in her dealings and she will ensure this agreement (if it goes through) will be of benefit to the students.
I agree 100%
I think that was the intention of the Minister at the time, and the PHC Executive – that the agreement would be of benefit to the students.
Save it…you “think”
TOO LITTLE…TOO LATE! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF DAME. AND TO SAY YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT IT AND IT WASN’T ON YOUR WATCH. YEAAAAH RIGHT!!!
soooooooooo – if it was four years before her appointment who would that have been?????? Sook UM HEATHER!!
Sometimes I am to fast for myself…. I didn’t READ. Minister James – you didn’t leave a note when you left office. Has anybody seen or heard from Mr/Ms/Miss/Mrs. NOBODY? They used to live in my house when we were children, they moved to Nevah Nevah land (BERMUDA).
Another promise of transparency. We only seem to hear that when one of them gets caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
$442 per student/year. Starting in P1 that would be a pretty tidy scholarship investment. I’ll let one of you math types tell us what that might come to.
Methinks the Lady doth protest too much. Her reference to her Oath at the end of her statement says it all. She didn’t know of this Agreement, and now she does she has asked for it to be investigated. Clearly she has her doubts about its validity.
Most of these schools are simply too far away. Even with expensive transport, it does not work. This has and can never be about benefit for students. We dont need no education.
The feasability of schools making any significant use of this is next to nothing. Certainly not close to the money involved. I cannot believe that intelligent people would not recognize this, therefore, it really just comes off like payment of a required bank loan. Cynical – maybe – but let’s be real.
cox must go
cox must go
cox must go
cox must go
cox must go
cox must go
cox must go
cox must go
cox must go
cox must go
PLP must go!
If you think Madam Premier must go then who you think should replace her, Dr. Ewart Brown. God helps us all if that is the case because they are trying hard to bring him back now and I wont be the least surprise if they call an election by late summer and the P.L.P get back in by a thin margin and the former premier and his crew overthrow the present administration as they had done already in the past. If this did happen I can assure you we would be in a worst position then what we are presently going through and I for one would support all out by any means needed to remove the entire P.L.P.
The young people in this country has had enough and some of the middle age but we would be rather foolish to allow ourselves to head toward dictatorship.
The overall plan sounds good and hopefully works for the benefit of our students for many years to come but the only unfortunate thing is again there is no transparency,signing these agreements with private entities using public funding should always be scrutinized by the politicians on both sides of the house so we can be assured that we getting the best for our dollar.
Before we go demanding to get rid of a leader or a party we should count the cost of where we are and were it is we are trying to go and not to the tune of killing the middle class and totally wiping out the lower class, P.L.P has a lot to do to convince the majority that we are headed in the right direction and at present I don’t think the O.B.A can prove to be any better in light of what they can bring to the table.if anything at all we sit on very shaky grounds with the P.L.P and the B.I.U sleeping in the same bed and now showing us that they have a third bed partner in the for of P.H.C.
This should not sit well with most as it looks as if P.L.P are doing the same style of governance as the last administration or at least allowing the last administrations ways of doing things to be carried over into the present administration,so it is so easy for people to say that the U.B.P. took care of it’s own and them that look like them but the P.L.P is starting to look more like the U.B.P to me in more ways then one.
The plan does not sound good at all. Schools, who are supposed to be teaching academics to students, are somehow going to arrange for transport and for the time necessary to trott down to PHC for P.E. lessons or practices that they could just as easily carry out at their own facilities? How is $432/student/year going to be effectively utilized? What is the plan? There is nothing specific enough presented to call it a plan. PHC needed some money, they came up with an idea (that is all that is presented by the Minister – an idea) – and $10 million was committed without a plan.
We voted these people in, we invited them to manage our money. Time to cut them off.
Who was the Premier in 2008 when this deal was being organized? i wonder!!!
come on Barracuda help me out here, small steps, Cox first then the PLP
I ASKED THIS SAME QUESTION LAST WEEK: guess Damne Jennifer is on the ball!
What bothers me is the length of time this agreement has been in place and is it open endedness? Meaning how long this agreement shall stay in place cause it’s been many years and no complex is even close to be realized! I say this because the Education Ministry budget has decreased significantly several years in a row, so what was done to get the budget down? Do more with less!
Each Union (BPSU, BIU and BUT) saw members made redundant! We had real people lose their jobs and a agreement which is truely secondary to education is still on the table! Could any one explain to me what real benefit our students will benefit from this facility above what they have at their current school? most if not all schools have gyms and fields! Weight room? Ahhhh I might be wrong but a 14 year old and younger student shouldn’t be in the gym on weights! Now let’s see … A 2500 seat what gym…. Does any one know what the National Stadium Covered side holds? Ummm close to the same amount, it take a massive event to fill them and it is very infrequent that it happens!
So you see I’m in favor of upgrading facilities though out Bermuda, however Something wrong when real people have been cut and this agreement never got affected! As a union member that got the axe the President knew of this deal, was told Education HAD to tighten it’s belt and cuts were made but once ya club is built we’ll buy into your facility! AS a member this doesn’t sit well with me! And this is just my opinion!
This is a joke, show me the well thought out education/sports/conference programs! C’mon people, for this sort of gift (sorry money) To PHC we should have a top notch proven curriculum when our students get there, not just a venue for when our need some place to go other than there own school!!!! SMH.
Minister Smith put this right! That 8 million or so can be used in the present schools. It’s like let’s rent a venue! THE MINISTRY HAVE TO MANY RESOURCES TO FALL FOR THIS!
So tell me, during the healthy financial years, what has the club to show for a building in the middle of town! Property was a premium for 10-15 year prior to the down term!
NOW WHAT IS THE COST TO GET OUR STUDENT TO THIS VENUE! Is it fixed in the price? Minister we know fear well, they would not use this venue, for the Price that is print!
A different spin on this…we have a school complex just up the street. upgrade their facility to accommodate some of the 2012 version of the “Unfinished Church” and let schools benefit from this.
what utter rubbish is being spewed that is 4 yrs old…BERMUDA WAKE UP.
we have become sheepish and violent as a people but no longer progressive collectively in a positive manner.
i am nearly 40 yrs old and can tell you – this feels like the Bermuda explained to me by my parents and grandparents “unda a You Bee Pee Gummint” only thing is that this time “the people look like me” and are rubbing my nose in it.
WOW Bermuda. Heather Jacobs has made a statement that can be applied to any other situation in this the Devil’s Isles…..
Why not invest that money in our schools?
Not a private club!
Run by your friends of course !
Another behind closed door deal, funded with tax payers money.
If its such a great deal to benefit the schools, why not just come forward and let the tax payer know what your intentions are.
ENOUGH!!!!