Threats and lobbying by parents has apparently forced Government to agree to delay entry of students into the new mega high school until January.

And the new school will retain the name of the historic school it will replace, the Berkeley Institute. Berkeley?s Parent Teacher Student Association president Sheldon Fox said he was both overjoyed and relieved at the news, saying the last thing anyone wanted was to be ?raced?.

Parents and even some teachers last month refused to budge when Government announced the school would be handed over in September ? even though parts of the school would not be completed on time.

Mr. Fox said he was pleased with this decision and felt it would be better for students to be moved to the new premises at the start of the second term in January. The announcement was made yesterday during a press conference attended by Premier Alex Scott, Education Minister Terry Lister, Works and Engineering and Housing Minister Ashfield De Vent and members of the Berkeley Institute family.

The new school will be owned by the Bermuda Government and leased to the Berkeley Institute Board of Governors under a management agreement signed following the press conference.

Mr. Lister said the decision was made to move students and staff in January so that the Board could ensure a smooth transition to the new school site from the present site, which has been occupied by the school for over 100 years.

He said the Ministry also endorsed the school?s plan to require students to attend school from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. during the upcoming school year.

?This action further illustrates the Board?s commitment to ensure that the students? education is neither compromised during the transition period, not when they move over to the new campus,? he said.

Meanwhile Mr. De Vent assured Berkeley?s Governors the project was still on track for ?substantial completion? of all the main school facilities, including most of the essential external works, by the first week of September.

However, the gymnasium was scheduled to be substantially complete before the end of October.

?The building is being handed over to the Ministry of Education and Development in phases, as each zone is completed,? he said.

He added that Block A and B were already substantially complete and Block C, levels 3 and four would be handed over in the next few weeks.

Mr. De Vent said the average manpower on the site is now over 250 people and some 46 work packages had been awarded, on which work was either completed, or was actively in progress.

?Some of the major works currently in progress are the gymnasium roofing, paint-work, tiling, landscaping, installation of kitchen and food service equipment and mechanical and electrical work,? he said.

Mr. Scott said Bermudians would be invited to take guided tours through the school in the future, adding that the challenges the Government faced and overcame to complete the ?most magnificent structure? was part of the rich tapestry of events that is replete with tales of the struggle against prejudice of the times.

However, when asked about the final cost of the project, he remained tight-lipped.

The project was started in 2002 at an estimated cost of $88 million, but now stands at $121 million upon completion ? $33 million more than it should have cost and the project is not yet complete.

Mr. Scott said once the arbitration process was complete he would be able to supply a figure and saying anything before that, would be premature.

?I?m inclined to believe that it?s not going to be as dramatic as people have suggested or anticipated,? he said.

A management agreement was signed by the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Berkeley Institute, Calvin White and Mr. Lister.

In the agreement, which will be reviewed every five years, the Berkeley Institute Board of Governors agree to continue providing instructional programmes, create an instructional environment to meet the needs of all students entering the school, manage and administer the maintenance of the physical plant and financial affairs of the Berkley Institute.

Mr. Lister said the Government would provide an adequate annual operating grant to manage and operate the school, provide appropriate resources to ensure funding of instructional, administrative and support staff salaries, as well as approve in consultation with the Board and the Ministry of Works and Engineering and Housing, an annual level of maintenance funding.

The move of Berkeley Institute to the new campus in January next year will mark the end of an era for the building which has graced Berkeley Hill since 1902.

While the future of this building remains uncertain, Premier Alex Scott said he hoped the property would in some way feature in the further development of educational services to Bermuda.

However, he said this was something that would be discussed between Government and the Schools? Board of Governors.

The Berkeley Institute opened its doors for the first time in the Samaritan?s Lodge in Court Street on September 6, 1897 with 27 pupils - 15 boys and 12 girls.

Under the leadership of principal, George A. DaCosta, the school moved to its current site on St. John?s Road and Berkeley Hill and began a process of sustained growth and development which has taken the school to the forefront of Bermuda?s educational system.

Although founded as an integrated school, Berkeley Institute has produced thousands of black graduates including a significant proportion of the current Parliament.