Dear Editor,

I am very sad that less than 25 years after President’s College (PC) opened its doors there are signs that this educational institution will soon be dissolved. How, when and why this school was established is widely known. However, my main concern is why PC was allowed to reach the state it is in today. Just a few years ago it was a thriving institution; the school’s farm was producing, the students were doing well at external exams, discipline was under control, there was accountability by the administration, music was being taught, the students were excelling in sports and overall PC was doing well.

Suddenly it gives the appearance of no accountability, the percentage of passes at external exams has dropped, the school’s livestock farm is like a ghost town, and would you believe it, there is no music because the school has been without a music teacher for years. Recently a group came up with recommendations to cut costs, but PC does not need a cost-cutting programme, it needs better management of its financial resources and greater accountability. Recommendations have been made to cut the staff, and while I would agree that some people need to be sent home, there must be replacements for some of them. Anyone who knows the situation at the school would agree that the auxilliary staff  are vital for its smooth running. We must bear in mind that it is not a 9-3 school; it is residential, and as such is occupied for 24 hours a day. Any residential school needs cleaners, carpenters, plumbers and of course, kitchen staff, and if you look carefully you would see that if you cut the staff in half it would affect operations.

I would recommend that PC cuts out the middle man when making purchases and goes directly to the manufacturer. I always wondered why is it that PC cannot bake its own bread; at present the school purchases bread from a bakery.

Instead of sending home half of the kitchen staff why not retain them to bake bread in a section of the kitchen, I’m quite certain we can cut costs there. The school’s PTA needs to play a greater role at the school, and parents need to start paying an interest and help in any way they can to keep PC from collapsing. The staff, the Board of Governors, the PTA and the Ministry of Education need to put their heads together and try to solve the many problems that the school faces. PC is a very sad place today and is urgently in need of help. What does the political opposition have to say about the state of affairs at President’s College?

Yours faithfully,
Clive Fredericks