Parents of the Ituni Primary School in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) are appealing to President David Granger to intervene and assist with regard to several complaints, which have led to protest action and a delay in the reopening
Parents and students protesting the deplorable conditions at the Ituni Primary School
of the school on Monday.
The school, which houses over a hundred students, remained closed on Wednesday, as parents continued with their protest action. However, this newspaper understands that a decision was eventually arrived at, to facilitate temporary housing arrangements for affected students, who would now be given the opportunity to attend school. The agreement was made between the Region’s Department of Education and the Ituni Primary Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) on Wednesday, signalling an end to three days of protest action.
A member of the school’s PTA, Kim Edwards told Guyana Times that contractors are also expected to visit the school where the issues of malfunctioning and limited washroom facilities, lack of potable water and faulty infrastructure were reported. Officials from the Department of Education visited the school on Tuesday and Wednesday, and engaged in discussion with teachers and parents of affected students.
With effect from Friday, Grades Five and Six are expected to be housed at the school’s library situated inside the compound, while Grades Three and Four will be housed at the Ituni Small Loggers Association (ISLA) building from Monday and Grades One and Two will resume normal classes inside their former classrooms. According to Edwards, parents are left to decide if they will send their children back to the building; however, the teachers are willing to facilitate the temporary
A section of the deplorable Primary School
arrangement.
Parents pleased with decision
Speaking on behalf of the PTA, Edwards said parents were happy with the decision to house some of the students temporarily as well as the interaction with regional education officials.
“Parents are satisfied with the agreement, that the officials came. They came out to the teachers first and then they spoke to the parents. Everybody is well pleased with the decision, well pleased that the officials helped us. We’re happy that when the contractors come, they will do their work and everything will be safe,” she noted.
On Monday, protesting parents had observed that their requests for an upgrade of the school’s sanitary block have gone unanswered for years, as they pointed out that currently, only one toilet, which was in deplorable condition, was functional and it served both male and female students. Additionally, it was noted that the school’s corridors were in a haphazard state and only one of the school’s staircases was useable. Edwards stated that officials visited the school once and had advised them to block off the school’s problematic staircase, which had been done; but the pressure remained for repairs to be done to the remaining staircases. Sections of the building are presently falling apart, making it unsafe for students.
