Sloppy work by a contractor hired by the Region One Administration has resulted in hundreds of students and teachers of the Port Kaituma Primary School being without an adequate water supply for several months; a situation that parents fear could lead to a health crisis.
Concerned parents and teachers have reported to this newspaper that pleas to the contractor and regional officials have fallen on deaf ears.
Regional Chairman Fermin Singh when contacted via telephone on Monday told Stabroek News that he will have to visit the area since he had no knowledge of this problem.
The present water crisis is just one of the many problems facing the North West District School. There is a lack of furniture, a shortage of teachers, overcrowding and students now have to use a pit latrine because of the lack of water in their sanitary block.
Singh, speaking on the issue of furniture in the region said that the persons, who are hired to build the desks and benches, don’t finish them on time. He gave assurances that in the new school term the furniture situation in the Region will be rectified.
The Hosororo Primary School which is located in the NWD also has a furniture shortage.
A source at the Port Kaituma Primary School told Stabroek News on Monday that the roof of the sanitary block (which has flush toilets) also serves as a water trestle where eight water tanks were placed. Recently, she said, there were signs of cracking and this was reported to the education department at Mabaruma as well as to the region. The region later contracted a resident of the area to remove the tanks from the middle to ease the pressure. They were to be place directly on the columns.
Prior to their removal, the tanks were connected in such a way that whenever rain falls the eight tanks would be filled one after the other.
In order to facilitate the moving of the tanks, the source said, the contactor dismantled the pipe set up and never fixed it back.
As a result of this, this newspaper was told, only two of the tanks are filled whenever the rains falls; a supply that lasts for one day.
The source stressed that there is no other source of water in the compound and the school depends heavily on rain water for drinking, cleaning and flushing toilets. She stressed that the water would be treated before it is consumed.
Because of the situation, students are often forced to go home, to get water for drinking and would often return to classes late.
A concerned parent said that the children cannot wash their hands after using the toilet. He said that the rain is falling but not much water is being collected because of the unfinished work. The parent said that when approached, the contractor said that he was only contracted to move the tanks and nothing more.
Stabroek News was told by a school official that the man had promised to return to rectify the situation but never did. She even pointed out that there is even a ladder waiting for the contractor whenever he decides to return.
“We want our system back”, the upset parent told Stabroek News before pointing out that whenever there is a water crisis, students and teachers have to use several pit latrines located behind the school.
One of the latrines is used only by the teachers and is always locked while 819 students have to use the other five, he stressed. The man said that one of the doors has fallen off and pointed out that this type of set up is not safe for such small children.
Meanwhile, the source said that a regional education official has promised 40 pairs of desks and benches but they are still waiting. Because of this situation, students are sometimes forced to stand during classes and in some cases three or four children are crammed to a bench that was built to accommodate two.
This situation, this newspaper was told has been occurring for years now.
The two-storey building has 23 classrooms which is inadequate for the student population who are taught by 26 teachers. Two more teachers are needed at the school.
The road to the school is another issue that had been repeatedly raised. During the rainy weather the road is very muddy and during the dry season, the dust sometimes makes it difficult to breathe.
“I am disturbed about all of these problems. We can’t function”, the source said before adding that the school doesn’t have a headmistress and that the teachers are often left out of workshops.
“I think that we (the teachers in the NWD) are being neglected to some extent because we are always let out. The Ministry of Education needs to pay attention to these interior locations”, the woman stressed.
She said that the ministry expects the teachers in the NWD to be perfect but “they don’t look at the constraints. Despite the constraints they still expect 100% performance”.
Many of the issues, Stabroek News was told, have been reported to regional officials.
