Fumigation exercises were conducted at the two Linden schools that were the scenes of protest action over mosquito infestation and classes are expected to return to normal tomorrow.
Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon told Stabroek News that the exercises were conducted last Thursday. He said there was hope that the New Silver City and the Harmony secondary schools, which have been experiencing a similar problem, would also have been targeted but this was not done.
He said that while this situation is a municipal concern, the region will be doing a full assessment of the environs of the schools where the problems exist to try to determine the cause of the infestation.
According to Solomon, the region’s aim is to prevent a reoccurrence.
Teachers at the Wisburg Secondary began a sit-in exercise last Monday and vowed to continue until the situation was rectified. One teacher said that the school was affected by the “big, black” mosquitoes on two other occasions since the start of this school term.
Complaints were reportedly made to regional education officials but no officer visited the school to assess the situation.
Then three days later, hundreds of students from the Wismar/ Christianburg Secondary School took to the streets. Teachers there had informed the regional education officials of the situation but no attempts were made to visit the school.
Solomon had said that mosquito infestation has been a longstanding issue in the region. He said that prior to the start of this school term regional officials had asked that schools be fumigated but this was not done.
