As students prepare to return to classrooms after a nine-week vacation, educational authorities have announced a staggered reopening schedule for several schools across St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
While the majority of primary, secondary, and technical-vocational institutions will resume classes on Monday, September 7, 2026, six schools will operate on adjusted schedules to allow for the completion of essential maintenance works.
According to the SVG Education Media Unit, the six affected schools will reopen in two phases.
The first group of schools will resume classes on Wednesday, September 9, 2026:
- Brighton Methodist School
- Calder Government School
- Buccament Bay Secondary School
- Emmanuel High School Mesopotamia
The remaining two schools will delay their reopening until Monday, September 14, 2026:
- St. Mary’s R.C. School
- Langley Park Government School
For all other primary, secondary, and technical-vocational institutions, classes will resume as planned on Monday, September 7, 2026.
The start of the 2026–2027 academic year was originally scheduled for Monday, August 31, 2026. However, on July 31, 2026, the Ministry of Education announced a one-week postponement to Monday, September 7, 2026. At the time of the announcement, Chief Education Officer Mrs. Mavis Findlay-Joseph explained in official communication Cir. No. 179/2026 that the delay was necessary to facilitate final preparations to ensure all schools were fully ready to welcome students and staff.
Despite the delay, additional challenges have emerged. Reports indicate that several schools are still awaiting their full complement of necessary furniture.
The staggering of school start dates comes amid revelations of significant financial strains caused by school property damage. On September 3, 2026, Senator Lavern King, Minister of State within the Ministry of Education, revealed that the government allocated a total of $7 million for school repairs this year.
Crucially, Senator King highlighted that half of that total expenditure—amounting to $3.5 million—was spent entirely on rectifying avoidable vandalism across the nation’s educational facilities.
