Rehabilitative works to the Howell Wilson Primary School, also referred to as the Ituni Primary is almost complete, with members of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) breathing a sigh of relief.
The Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) school had been in dire need of repairs which prompted the PTA to stage protest actions against the school’s deplorable condition on the first day of the school’s reopening back in January. During the
Rehabilitation works are almost complete at the Ituni Primary
protest which lasted for a few days, parents had voiced concerns over malfunctioning and limited washroom facilities and lack of potable water as well as faulty infrastructure. They noted that their requests for upgrades to the school’s sanitary block had gone unanswered for years, as they pointed out that only one toilet facility was in use and served both male and female students. Additionally, it was noted that the school’s corridors were in a deplorable state and only one of the school’s staircases was functional.
The school had remained closed as parents vowed not to send their children back to the location unless the issues are dealt with. This prompted officials from the Department of Education to visit the school as they engaged in discussions with teachers and parents of affected students.
Presently contractors are administering the final touches of repairs to the wooden school and are expected to wrap up soon. The school has also been repainted.
A parent told this publication that the repairs are moving along “perfectly” and she was “very much pleased” with the results. The students, who had to be relocated to spaces in and around the school compound will be able to utilise the school upon completion of rehabilitation works. Until such time, temporary arrangements remain in place which allows for Grades Five and Six students to be housed at the school’s library inside the compound, while Grades Three and Four are being housed at the Ituni Small Loggers Association (ISLA) building and Grades One and Two resuming normal classes inside of their former classrooms. The arrangements continue to be in place until the completion of repairs.
