The reconstruction of the One Mile Primary School at Linden is likely to take more than a year, Education Minister Priya Manickchand announced yesterday, while assuring that none of the students displaced by the situation would be disadvantaged.
Manickchand was at the time addressing parents, teachers and concerned residents of Linden who crammed into the auditorium of the Wismar Hill Primary School, during a visit by the minister and senior officers of the Education Ministry and the region for an update on the school.
Although Manickchand emphasised that the current priority is accommodating the 830 students displaced as a result of the torching of the school building, her news did not sit well with parents and others who were adamant about the need to rebuild. On Sunday, hundreds of residents started clearing away the rubble and began stockpiling sand at the site for the reconstruction of the school.
There is no budget yet for the reconstruction and not much thought has gone into it, Manickchand said, adding that ensuring that all the One Mile Primary students are placed has been the focus.
“I don’t mean to be disrespectful or to sound rude but I haven’t heard any mention of when this government intends to start to work on rebuilding this school, we need to know that now,” said a female parent.
In response, Manickchand said that the government is committed to building schools around the country and Linden is no exception, while adding that she had communicated the government’s commitment to the rebuilding process to the Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon. She, however, added that considering that it was just one week ago that the school was destroyed, the budget for placement of the students in a classroom by the September 3rd, 2012 start of the new academic year has taken priority above the reconstruction. She added that with the decision to accommodate the grades one and two-level students at the One Mile Nursery building, there are costs for putting a number of things in place, including construction of a water trestle, among other things.
“I can tell you that from the Ministry of Education, we are absolutely determined that, as far as we can make it happen because we have limitations with resources and so on, those children who are going to the One Mile Primary School will not be disadvantaged in any way,” she assured.
“Hear nah Minister, Hear nah we building back we school,” shouted a parent in response.
Central role
Later, Solomon said that with the placement of the students covered, the rebuilding of the school would be priority, with the community playing a very central role. Asked to be specific about the community’s involvement, including whether it will be responsible for the construction of the physical structure or any other aspect of the rebuilding process, Solomon re-emphasised that the community’s role will be one of maximum involvement.
He added that a quantity surveyor and a structural engineer have been contacted and are expected to do the assessments with regards to establishing the condition of the foundation and the beams of the structure. “So, like I say, it’s gonna be a very involved process, where the community and the government will play their role in the rebuilding,” he said.
By last week Sunday afternoon, the regional education officials had put together a draft plan for students to be accommodated during the new academic year and for the period that the school building would be under construction. The plan, which was proposed to parents, included the enrollment of the new Grade One intake for the 2012 to 2013 academic year.
But the proposal for the 150 Grade One and Grade Two-level students to be placed at the One Mile Nursery School’s new extension, which was constructed because of the growth in the nursery-level student population, using a double-shift system did not go down very well with parents and even some teachers. Under the proposed shift system, Grade One students would attend the first shift, from 7:30hrs to 11:30hrs and the Grade Two students would attend from 12:00hrs to 16:00hrs.
Given the opportunity to share their views, few residents came forward, but many voiced their concern loudly. Persons who took to the microphone said they were concerned that the nursery school was not adequate while others were not too keen on the shift system. “Remember, we are not at home,” Wismar Hill Primary’s head teacher Joy Webb, however, reminded.
Manickchand and Pastor Selwyn Sills, Chairman of the Regional Parent-Teachers Association (RPTA) said that by yesterday afternoon, they were expecting a word from the pastor and board of the nearby Faith Assembly of God Church on use of the church building, thereby eliminating the need for a double shift system. Efforts to contact Sills yesterday afternoon to determine the response of the Church proved futile.
Loud applause
The 421 students in grades Three to Five, meanwhile, are to be housed at the Wismar Hill Primary School, where the auditorium and two classrooms were made available. There was both loud applause and a few concerns about the arrangement but Webb put fears to rest by providing a floor map of how the classrooms would be laid out.
It was also suggested that the St. Aidan’s Primary School, which has sufficient space, be used to accommodate some students. This proposal did not get much support from parents, who were concerned about the location of the school and the distance their children would have to trek daily to get there. St. Aidan’s Primary is located at Blue Berry Hill, an area where there is no public transportation except for taxis.
Unlike the other levels, the proposal for the placement of the Grade Six students, who would be accommodated at the Block 22 Multi-Purpose Hall, was unanimously accepted. “The members of the Block 22 Community have willingly offered to make the Block 22 Multi-Purpose Hall available. This initiative is welcome, since a large group of pupils for that grade reside in Block 22 and its immediate environs,” Manickchand said.
The minister also informed residents that much work is being put into furnishings and work materials, including lessons plans and scheme of works for teachers, are in place for the new school year.
Following the meeting, Manickchand and her team went on a visit of the site of the torched school building and found that a number of residents were out again yesterday continuing the clearing exercise. She had a separate meeting with the teachers of the One Mile School also, while Sills had called for a meeting of the school’s PTA executives.
