A new teacher has been sent to take over classes at the De Veldt Primary School, in the Berbice River, according to Captain of the community Laxley Lindie.
Following the publication in this newspaper about how the non-attendance of two teachers had delayed the start of classes for the new school term, Lindie told Stabroek News yesterday that a teacher from the Gatroy Primary School, located a few miles from De Veldt, was instructed by Region 10 authorities to visit the school and begin classes last Friday.
A teacher from another nearby area was also sent to the school and she was told to take over the reigns at the institution. While no child attended classes on Friday, Lindie said that the children returned to classes from Monday. Lindie also inform-ed that Regional Education Officer Claude Johnson and other officials visited the school yesterday and held a meeting with those present. He said Johnson informed that head teacher of the school, Abby Kertzious, who had not turned up for classes for six weeks before the end of last term, would not be returning. Johnson told the meeting that the woman was on no-pay leave. The other teacher, who should have been back at school from the start of the new school term, made contact and assured that she would return to classes today.
Last week, Lindie had also complained about Kertzious leaving with the school’s keys, which prevented the remaining teacher from having access to the school’s office and the library. The keys were said to have been left in the possession of the woman’s husband. She had instructed the cleaner to retrieve it from him to open the office so that the children who wrote examinations could be given their papers. The keys were then returned to her husband.
Yesterday, Lindie said that Johnson and the other officials visited the couple’s home but her husband was not there and instructions were left for the keys to be handed over to him.
Lindie said upon receiving the keys he would hand them over to the new teacher in charge. Lindie said yesterday while he was happy that some actions have been taken he is also sad that he had to seek the assistance of the media before something could be done. He pointed out that it was the children who were suffering.
