Golden Grove Secondary students, parents protest deplorable condition

September 6, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under News
Source - Kaieteur news

As the new school term commenced yesterday, parents of students attending the Golden Grove Secondary School, East Coast Demerara, yesterday staged a protest against the deplorable conditions at the institution.

The parents called for the immediate closure of the school and for the Ministry of Education to step in.

Member of Parliament and resident of Golden Grove, Ernest Elliot, yesterday told Kaieteur News that a number of parents and concerned villagers held a meeting at the school on Sunday to address the problems.

They had all agreed to a protest to voice their concerns yesterday.

Elliot said that the school should have been renovated and extended some six years ago. According to the MP a programme was in place to help facilitate this, but it was neglected. According to Elliot the children are made to sit in a classroom which is not conducive for learning.

He said that the classroom lacks furniture and other basic necessities. They don’t have good toilet facilities or good windows to protect the children from the elements, he added.

Elliot stressed that the government needs to pay more interest into the situation.

Another parent, Madonna Meredith, who has one child attending the school, said that the Ministry of Education must be more involved.

Shamdai Narine, who has her young daughter attending the school, said that she was not pleased with the conditions.

The woman said that there was no running water at the school, the toilets are not functional and that there is an unbearable stench emanating from the classrooms.

Shonette Giles, who has a niece attending the school, said that a new school is needed. The woman explained that the school flooring is falling apart.

She stressed that there is no running water or electricity in the school.

“How can children learn in these conditions….its not conducive for learning” Giles stressed.

According to the woman, another parent David Gentle, was shocked by an exposed electrical wire while at the school on Sunday.

Giles said that parents and other concerned villagers had congregated at the school in an effort to address the condition of the school.

Yesterday, as parents were out protesting the police were called in. Three van loads of police were seen outside the compound while several ranks were inside of the school’s compound.

As this newspaper attempted to speak with the head teacher, the woman became hostile and shouted at reporters.

“Get out of the school I don’t want to say anything,” the headmistress said.

Deplorable Toilets.

As the parents walked around the school’s compound a number of them pointed to the toilet facilities. Inside the toilet area, the scent hits like a jackhammer.

Some of the classrooms close to the toilet area were without any furniture. The concrete water fountain in the school’s compound was in a terrible state. Moss was everywhere.

The home economics department and the science laboratory are non functional and have been this way for some time.

Minister of Education Shaik Baksh has said that he was extremely concerned about the situation.
According to the Minister these schools’ repairs and other things come under the direct command of the regional authority not central schools.

Baksh said that when these things happen they interrupt the delivery of education. The Minister further told Kaieteur News that some work was done on the building but more needed to be done.

According to Baksh, new windows and a gate would be put in place. In regards to the furniture situation the Minister said that some were sent to the school yesterday afternoon and another set will be sent today.

He further told Kaieteur News that the toilet situation was caused by broken pipes, and that is being rectified.

Parents have stated that they would be holding another protest if the needs are not met in the immediate future.

Berbice schools without furniture on first day

September 6, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under News
Source - Kaieteur News

A class at the Vryman's Erven Secondary in New Amsterdam with hardly any furniture

Several parents in Berbice yesterday reported that their children were not comfortably seated on the first day of school. Parents of students attending the Tutorial Academy Secondary School (TASS), Berbice Educational Institute (BEI), New Amsterdam Multilateral School (NAMS) and the Vryman’s Erven Secondary (VESS) had informed this publication of a shortage of adequate furniture at the respective schools.

Sources did indicate that children were seated three in a bench and some were standing at the Tutorial Academy and Berbice Educational Institute. Other sources told this publication that most parents of the new First Form intake at the NAMS took their own furniture for their children to be seated on the first day of the new school year.

However, the Regional Education Officer was seemingly not aware of the furniture situation.

At least one photograph provided by a parent of the Vryman’s Erven Secondary showed students sitting three in a bench and some without desks. A multi-million dollar contract was signed with the Government and Memorex Contracting Services for the construction and supply of school furniture for Berbice schools.

Kaieteur News contacted the Regional Education Officer of Region Six, Shafiran Bhajan, to ascertain whether the schools that were experiencing the shortage on Monday received furniture during the just concluded holiday season and asked for the breakdown of allocation of furniture to the affected schools.

She said that 419 pairs of A-type and 550 pairs of B- Type furniture were distributed to Berbice schools during the holidays. She added that 70 pairs of C- type furniture will be distributed shortly to St Therese, Corriverton, All Saints and Auchlyne Primary Schools.

To ease the burden, too, she said that 30 pairs of used furniture were uplifted from a Primary -top school in the town. These were destined for the Vryman’s Erven Secondary to ease the shortage there.

She said that 13 pairs will be available shortly to the TASS. At least one classroom at the NAMS is being housed at the National Resource Centre in the NAMS Compound.

Parents have opined that they were told not to bring furniture for their children on the first day of school but yet their children had to endure a lot of discomfort on the first day. Several NAMS parents opted to bring their own combination chairs, some parents reported.

Mrs Bhajan did reveal that a $10.8M contract was signed last week with three contractors, one of whom was Bonny’s Furniture of West Berbice, for more furniture for Berbice schools.

This money had been released to the Region Six administration “to cater for full demand”, Bhajan added. “That will take care of the region’s needs, based on the inventory collected from schools”, Bhajan noted.

She and her officers, during the last school year, had visited several schools with digital cameras and had taken photographs of seating arrangements. This information, along with an assessment, was submitted to the government, who, after consideration allocated that $10.8M contract for more furniture.

Government has been spending a lot of money on the same thing each new school year. She stated that the furniture are destroyed after social events are held in school buildings across Berbice.

She further admitted that some of the furniture are not built to standard. “Quality control is a major issue.”

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New school year re-opens smoothly with a few exceptions

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Originally posted by Pointblank:

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New school year re-opens smoothly with a few exceptions

Like some female students from Albion attending school in New Amsterdam, will wait until they get home to use the toilet.