NOW Leader Emmanuel Blasts NRPB Over gymnasium debacle at MPC and Sundial

GREAT BAY--"Another school year, same embarrassment welcoming our students." Leader of the Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW) party Christophe Emmanuel on Thursday once again issued scathing condemnation of the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) over its continued failure to deliver critical upgrades to the gymnasiums of Milton Peters College (MPC) and Sundial School.

Emmanuel has been a leading critic of the NRPB and its activities in the country, from inflated claims of home repairs, to the latest cancellation of construction contracts to a foreign company.

“It is a shame, a national embarrassment, that our children are still expected to learn, grow, and thrive in schools where gymnasiums are hazards, either non-functional or disgracefully neglected,” Emmanuel said. “Students have now entered and completed their entire high school education never having seen a proper gym facility. This is the reality. And no one is being held accountable, least of all the NRPB.”

Emmanuel was also responding to news that the NRPB terminated the long-delayed gym repair contracts on June 27, 2025, after a year of inactivity by a selected Chinese contractor. “It took them an entire year just to realize the company they selected couldn’t even mobilize. A year lost. They even held a labor drive to assist this contractor. Meanwhile, local companies that are more than capable of executing the work continue to be sidelined,” he stated.

The NOW leader called on the government and the NRPB to abandon further delays and bureaucracy and immediately award the project to a local contractor. “At this point, skip the bidding process. You’ve wasted enough time. Just give it to someone on St. Maarten and get it done, post haste. Our children don’t deserve this. This is not normal, and the way we carry on like it is, without demanding accountability, is disturbing.”

Emmanuel also pointed to published reports highlighting that St. Maarten students are not getting enough physical activity, a trend that has long-term health and developmental consequences. “Lack of physical activity in children affects everything, mental focus, academic performance, physical health, and even social development. "Then they get in the media and say more needs to be done about physical activity of students. Yes, you should start by finally fixing their gymnasiums. Have you no shame?"

The NRPB had initially included gym repairs under the ERP‑1 school recovery program, with both MPC and Sundial scheduled for upgrades. But due to the contractor’s failure to begin work, the projects are now being “re-planned” under a so-called new implementation approach in collaboration with MECYS and the World Bank.

Emmanuel says this approach only ensures more delays. “Mark my words: by the time the new tendering is done and construction begins, another school year will have passed. And when the ribbon is finally cut, those responsible for the delays will conveniently be forgotten. The NRPB will smile for the cameras and move on to the next project as if this never happened.”

Emmanuel called for more transparency, accountability, and urgency. “You remember high school for good times, sports days, basketball games, community events, many of which happen in the gym. But these students will remember waterlogged floors, broken lights, and empty promises. They’ll remember how their government and this convoluted organization known as the NRPB failed them, without repercussions. And I couldn’t stay silent about that.”

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