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Photo ops, promises, and press releases — but where’s the progress?

Basseterre, St. Kitts (SKN Times) — Four months after the grand announcement that work had officially begun on the long-delayed new Basseterre High School, the site today tells a very different story — one of bush, neglect, and broken promises.

Back in June 2025, Education Minister Dr. Geoffrey Hanley proudly led a high-profile tour of the site, flanked by engineers, consultants, and a photographer’s lens. The government’s official press release boasted that “large-scale excavation work is now underway” — signaling what was supposed to be the start of one of the nation’s most significant educational infrastructure projects in decades.

But a recent visit by SKN Times paints a sobering picture: the so-called “construction site” is still an open field, covered in overgrown grass and weeds. The only visible sign of “activity” is a weathered ‘Construction Area – Authorized Personnel Only’ sign hanging at the entrance — a hollow monument to the government’s unmet promises.

There are no trucks, no foundation, no workers, and no visible progress. The area looks identical to how it did before the June photo op — except now, nature seems to be reclaiming what was once hailed as “the beginning of a new era” for education in St. Kitts and Nevis.

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Broken Promises and Unanswered Questions

This project was meant to be a symbol of progress — a state-of-the-art learning facility to replace the contaminated site of the old Basseterre High School, which was closed years ago amid health concerns. But as months pass with no visible progress, public confidence is evaporating fast.

So what happened?

• ❓ Why has work stopped — if it ever truly began?
• ❓ Were the project timelines realistic, or were they political theatre?
• ❓ Has funding stalled or design approval been delayed?
• ❓ And who will take responsibility for yet another missed milestone?

The government promised an 18-month completion timeline, but at this pace, even eighteen months from now, students and teachers may still be waiting — watching grass grow where classrooms were promised.

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From Public Hype to Public Frustration

This isn’t the first time the Basseterre High School project has been paraded as a success before a shovel even touched the soil. The saga has stretched across two administrations, multiple announcements, and years of political back-and-forth — all while students remain displaced and the capital city still lacks a proper flagship high school.

The public is growing impatient. Social media posts have begun circulating side-by-side comparisons of the June “launch” photos and recent ground photos, exposing what many are calling a “photo-op illusion” — a project more visible in press releases than in progress reports.

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Demanding Accountability

The citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis deserve transparency and results, not more polished statements and ribbon-cutting promises.

How much money has been allocated and spent?
What’s causing the delay?
And when will the people — especially the youth — finally see the benefits of the much-promised “modern learning environment”?

Until these questions are answered, the new Basseterre High School remains not a beacon of progress, but a symbol of stagnation — another case where words came easy, but work never came at all.

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The people of St. Kitts and Nevis deserve more than photo ops.
They deserve honesty. They deserve progress. They deserve their school.

Images: June 2025 SKNIS site visit vs. current conditions (October 2025)

#SKNTimes | #BHSProject | #Accountability | #EducationCrisis | #BushAndPromises | #StKittsNevis