Mystery last night surrounded a highly secretive meeting held by the Board of Governors at Berkeley Institute.

Members of the board refused to speak to The Royal Gazette and said they had been instructed to say nothing about the discussions as they filed out of the school building soon after 8 p.m.

At the end of the meeting chairman of the board Calvin White would only say that the meeting had been called by people interested in the school.

He said the media had been banned from the meeting and therefore nothing should be reported in the Press.

He said: "We have meetings all the time to keep people abreast of what is happening. That's all it was.

"The meeting was just about where Berkeley is and the status of Berkeley.

"I am saying nothing more."

He refused to say who was at the meeting or whether or not the meeting had been called to discuss the future of the site once the new school building opens in September 2003.

Among those people filing out of the school building was Acting Director of Government Information Services Valerie Pethen.

She, too, would say nothing about the meeting other than to confirm that it was "private".

The present site will become vacant when the new $70 million Berkeley Institute school opens across the street in just less than two years.

The Royal Gazette believes the Berkeley Educational Society had asked for the board to discuss last night the issue of what will happen to the old building, with a view to it staying connected to the school in some way.

However, it is understood that when the Board of Governors agrees to take over the new building, the Government will take over responsibility for the old one.

And what happens to it after that point is ultimately up to Government, although it has already been decided that it will not be demolished.

Last night, Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott, who is responsible for the upkeep of all Government schools and the construction of the new one, said he had no idea what last night's meeting was about.

He said: "If the Board of Governors agrees, they would take over the administration of the new plant and the Government would take over responsibility of the current site.

"There has been many suggestions as to what the current building could be used for. It's even been suggested that the Ministry of Education keep it in education as the new Ministry of Education, to honour its history in education."