The Eccles/Ramsburg Neigh-bourhood Democratic Coun-cil (NDC) is reactivating its education partnership with parent-teacher associations, businesses and outstanding persons and teachers from the community besides other stakeholders to work along with the schools.
The partnership, which was re-launched yesterday at the Providence Community Centre, will exercise general supervision and control over schools in the region as a sub-committee of the NDC.
Reyaz Rafeek will chair the group which is being established as a requirement of the council as well as in response to the need to find solutions to problems in education facing children in the community.
He said the group will liaise with schools and implement a series of activities aimed at fostering a good relationship between schools and the NDC at the educational level.
Where appropriate the partnership would be responsible for school maintenance and would also encourage the formation of participatory groups and school improvement within each of its schools.
The body could also be assigned other duties as the RDC and its officers may from time to time prescribe.
However, initially the partnership is to oversee the development of a counselling programme, according to Rafeek.
He said this would be given priority because of the many difficulties some teachers face with students. He also is hoping that the programme’s formation would have a positive effect on the behaviour of children in schools.
District Education Officer (Primary) Hazel Answick who spoke briefly at yesterday’s launch lamented that not all councils in the region were working along with schools.
“We tell head teachers to approach the councils for help but there is still not enough interaction,” she said.
She said however that the Eccles/Ramsburg NDC was one which had great collaboration with the schools in surrounding areas.
“We will have to stir up some head teachers, they are asleep ..it’s sad to say but education cannot work in isolation,” she said.
The education officer called on head teachers to work with NDCs in addressing the needs of schools, adding that they were allocated sums to assist schools.
In this regard she also pointed to the Diamond/ Grove council which also works along with its schools and said she hoped that others would follow these two examples.
The education partnership committee is to arrange a series of activities, including visiting the homes of children and meeting with parents.
The businesses in the partnership will provide financial and other support to the committee.