The State Government has announced its upgrading school facilities at five schools in East Gippsland.
Clifton Creek Primary School, Mallacoota P-12 College, Cann River P-12 College, Metung Primary and Buchan Primary will share in$1.3 million dollars to improve their respective schools.
Mallacoota P-12 College will receive the biggest slice of the pie with a $904,000 grant to upgrade its roofing, install a safer electrical system, build a covered pathway to the library, resurface its car park, repair pathways, replace windows and guttering, build a new storage shed and refurbish its science block and administration and staff areas.
Principal, Tim Cashmore, was gobsmacked when informed of the grant this week by the Advertiser.
“Wow,” he said.
“I’ve had to keep this (application for grant) a bit of a secret because I wasn’t sure if it would come through,” Mr Cashmore said.
“I’m just ecstatic.
“We’ve worked very hard through the bushfires and coronavirus and this will be a great boost for the school and the community in general,” Mr Cashmore said.
“The school is really the hub of the town.”
Mr Cashmore said like many schools the roof had been leaking for well over a decade.
“Now we’ve got a 21st Century learning environment it will make a real difference,” he said.
Cann River P-12 College will receive $168,000 for new carpets and to build a new fitness station, while Metung Primary School has been granted $146,000 to demolish and replace its toilet block.
Buchan Primary School has been given $84,000 to undertake minor maintenance works, including painting the school and upgrading fluorescent lights to LED lights.
Clifton Creek Primary School, which was lost in the summer’s bushfires, will receive a further $29,000 to build a bus shelter within the school property beside the car park entrance.
Schools across the state will reopen next week, however, Premier Daniel Andrews, implored those who can learn from home must do so.
He said reopening the schools on Wednesday was to accommodate those students who weren’t able to utilise digital technology from home or whose parents were doing important work and were simply unable to supervise them.
IMAGE: Mallacoota P-12 School principal, Tim Cashmore (pictured), is ecstatic about the grant to upgrade facilities at the school. (PS)
