Port Antonio High School is now hosting its grade seven students at a new campus as it continues its push towards eliminating the shift system.

The school is one of four which will be removed from the shift system in the 2019/20 fiscal year at a total cost of $93.9 million.

Minister with responsibility for education Karl Samuda recently told Parliament that $30 million has been allocated to upgrade Port Antonio High to move it to a single shift school.

The new campus for Port Antonio High is at premises that once housed Fellowship Primary and Junior High School which was shut down two years ago.

When the Jamaica Observer North & East visited the new campus days before the scheduled start of the new school year, parents and teachers were on the site with the work crew as some finishing touches were being done.

“We have had control of this campus for more than a year and last year we should have gone to the campus for the grade seven to nine, but logistically it couldn’t work,” said Principal Basil Graham.

“The general idea is to get us off the shift system as we are two schools in one with some 1,800 students. To get us off shift we have to move grades seven to nine away from here,” he said.

“The ministry has decided to start somewhere and to do this incrementally so the grade seven students will be hosted at campus two. We have enough space for the grade seven and there are some modifications to the plant and most of that has been done,” Graham added.

“Not all the equipment is here. We received 200 pieces of furniture and the school has modified some of the furniture to facilitate the process,” he said at the time.

He said the leadership of the school, and officials of the education ministry held consultations with all the stakeholders and while there were some concerns and resistance, they managed to allay most of the fears.

“We should be there with some 350 students. We will be fully operational in short order despite some furniture being absent for staff; the information technology lab is not ready and some fine touches are to be made but that will not stop the basic teaching and learning process,” declared Graham.

“Security of the compound will be paramount as there was some modification at the entrance for a walk-through metal detector and this will be one of the first in this part of the parish and maybe, this part of the island,” Graham said. “It will ease the security concerns and one will have to make a serious effort to get anything you want into the compound. In case of emergency there will be a side gate for exit.”

According to Graham, 15 members of staff have been assigned to that campus which will be managed by a vice-principal, while he will make periodic visits.

“The parents and students are excited. There will be a bus system that will transport the students to the plant and back to Port Antonio and there are possibly two pick up points on Allan Avenue and West Palm Avenue, at least for the first year, and it will not be a cost to the parents. This will be for our uniformed students,” Graham told the Observer North & East.

He said the only concern now is a river that threatens the physical structure and the security of the new campus.

“There is a hard court that was being used that can no longer be used because the river has undermined it. There is need for river training and further security for the compound,” added Graham.