The current state of the main Philipsburg Jubilee Library building.
PHILIPSBURG--The project teams of the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) are making steady progress to begin implementing the Fostering Resilient Learning Project (FRLP), one of the various projects of the St. Maarten Recovery and Resilience Trust Fund.
From an allocated budget of US $30 million, the upcoming FRLP will see the rebuilding the Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) and Sister Marie Laurence Primary School. The project will also restore and reconstruct Charles Leopold Bell Primary School and introduce a management information system within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS).
With these activities, the project aims to restore access to safe learning and cultural spaces, as well as improve the resilience of St. Maarten’s educational system through enhanced physical and digital infrastructure, NRPB said in a press release on Tuesday. “The project teams are steadfastly working to bring FRLP to fruition.”
Part of this has been the development of three safeguard instruments aimed at minimising potential risks to the environment and local communities. These measures are in accordance with the World Bank’s environmental and social standards, which are a series of guidelines that the NRPB follows when preparing and implementing Trust Fund projects.
The three safeguard instruments are an Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP), an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), and a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP). These documents can be found on the NRPB’s website www.nrpbsxm.org/frlp.
With the successful completion of the preparatory steps, the World Bank and the government of St. Maarten will sign a grant agreement later this year, after which the project’s implementation phase will begin. Given the large scope of work, it is expected that the project will be completed in mid-2025.
“Education is a powerful driver of community and economic development. By investing in education, like we are doing now through the Trust Fund, we are contributing to individual and societal well-being, as well as providing growth and prosperity to the island. I am happy to see the progress that the project teams have made, and I look forward to successful implementation of the project,” said NRPB Director Claret Connor.
The St. Maarten Trust Fund is financed by the government of the Netherlands, managed by the World Bank, and implemented by the NRPB on behalf of the government of St. Maarten.
