KK prelate blesses new premises for primary school

INANAM – Students, teachers and parents of St Catherine Primary School got to witness history in the making for the school on 12 Mar 2016.

Archbishop John Wong blessed and officiated the newly constructed building of St Catherine Primary School, which was also witnessed by parish priest Fr David Sham, his assistant Fr Paul Lo, members of the Board of Governors of the primary school, Head of Archdiocese Education Commission Sr Rita Chew, Spiritual Director of the Archdiocese Early Childhood Education Committee (AECEC) Fr Jalius Sading, Head of AECEC Jennifer Anjek and other AECEC committee members.

The mission school was founded in 1947, and built in 1948 with its first block of wooden school building which was constructed to accommodate 20 students catering for primary one to primary three. The building was also used by visiting priests for Sunday Masses. In 1959-60 a new building, the second block of the school, was constructed adjoining the first one to cater to an increased student population consisting of four classes (primary four to primary six) which also included a staff room.

However, in recent years the two school blocks encountered flood problems when people living in the vicinity of the school started to fill their land for housing. Before long, the school building, which still remained in its original state, was surrounded by newer buildings at a higher level than its own. This has resulted on several occasions when the school building was partially submerged in water during heavy downpours, which was further aggravated by the existing poor drainage system in the area.

In 2014, the school board decided to dismantle the existing structure and to rebuild a new one at the same site with earth filling in order to bring the new building to the same level as the surrounding area.

The construction of the two-storey new school building began in March 2015 and was completed in August 2015.

The teachers and students occupied the new school building by January 2016. At present, there are 215 students studying in this mission primary school ranging from primary one to primary six. – Paul Chong, St Catherine BOG