Government could close some schools for the beginning of the next school year and will reduce staff in the Ministry of Education, Minister El James said yesterday.

Mr. James made the announcement as he sought public input on school consolidation.

He said the moves were aimed at reducing costs, and said some schools could be converted to Ministry offices to cut office rental costs.

Money and facilities were also needed for a special needs school as the system had to cater to a growing number of children with special education needs, including autism.

No specific schools have been targeted for closure, Mr. James told The Royal Gazette in an exclusive interview.

The Minister and his Permanent Secretary Kevin Monkman said the move is part of an overall plan to "consolidate" and improve the system.

"Right now we have 19 primary schools, five middle schools and two senior schools," Mr. Monkman said.

"Unfortunately, student population have been going down and our budget has been quite severely curtailed. We have to look at whether we're operating facilities at a maximum capacity. The Minister has asked to identify cost savings through consolidations."

The Ministry is now seeking public feedback persons with concerns should submit them in writing to Education Commissioner Wendy McDonnell.

Recommendations will be made public at the end of the year. Changes decided upon will be put into effect next September.

Documents leaked to the media in January revealed Government planned to close five primary schools. The news caused an uproar among parents of students at East End Primary, Prospect Primary, Gilbert Institute, Heron Bay Primary and Dalton E. Tucker Primary.

Many expressed concern that their children's education would be disrupted by the move.

Mr. Monkman said yesterday: "There's no specific schools that are targeted. We're looking at the whole system and how we can merge schools together.

"Do we need 19 primary schools? Do we need five middle schools? If we can have fewer principals that we have to pay, we're saving money. We're providing quality education."

Added Mr. James: "We're not going to diminish the factors of education. We will maintain the same quality and in no way will that be affected.

"If we look at numbers, there are several primary schools with less than 100 students. We have to look at what we're going to do with all these primary schools."

The Ministry currently pays an annual rent of $1 million, Mr. Monkman said.

"If we can change the use at a school for office facilities, we're going to have huge savings."

He continued: "The focus is not just on the schools. The team has been tasked with looking at the department headquarters and the structure of the headquarters to ensure that it's efficient as it can be.

"How can we reduce numbers in the headquarters while providing for the schools? We have to ensure that the department and Ministry have the right organisation to meet the needs of the schools that's the focus."

Mr. James went on: "Times are changing. We now have the needs for a special needs school. Autism numbers are on the rise. We need facilities for these individuals.

"The fact is that we have a lot of buildings right now, a lot of schools with very low numbers and we feel that we have a need that's rising for special needs schools.

"Every day we have autism and the new things coming with it. We hear of new things all the time. The numbers are going to rise over the next five to ten years so we have to be proactive and get ready for it."

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