A shift system is being instituted for some students attending the Goed Fortuin Primary after upset parents pulled their children from the school on Monday due to dangers posed by ongoing construction on the building.
On Monday, when the school reopened for the new term, rehabilitation works on the corridor of one of the school’s buildings was still ongoing.
Many parents and representatives of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) voiced their dissatisfaction at a decision made by the regional administration and the education office to have the work carried out just when school was reopening.
Workers began to work on the corridors on Monday morning and were expected to finish by next Sunday. However, due to further damage identified while they were tearing down one of the old corridors the work is being extended and it is unclear when it will be completed.
The project has been undertaken by the Region Three Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and not the Ministry of Education.
Parents, who were dissatisfied with the potential risk to students posed by the construction work, made the decision to take them home on Monday. The parents had believed that the regional authority would have consulted with them before they made the decision to begin works.
Yesterday when Stabroek News visited the school, only a handful of students were seen in the compound.
However, at a meeting held yesterday between the Regional Education Office and concerned parents to discuss safety measures, a decision was taken to cordon the area where the construction is ongoing.
The meeting was attended by a few members of the PTA, other concerned parents and Assistant Chief Regional Education Officer Baydewan Rambarran as well as other regional education officers.
A parent, Soma (only name given), said that she was pleased that the Education Department has listened to the concerns of parents and would be cordoning off the area for the children’s safety.
She noted that on Monday the workers had wood placed in several corners of the school yard, while children were running in the compound near to the construction site, which she said was unsafe. She further mentioned that a student was seen going under a part of the building where construction was ongoing to retrieve a ball on Monday and it only happened because there was no barricade.
According to Rambarran, they have decided to cordon the area to keep the children out.
After the meeting, Stabroek News observed work ongoing to barricade the construction site.
Meanwhile, parents called for the school to be closed for students who are not preparing to write exams, rather than instituting a shift system until the rehabilitation work is completed.
However, during the meeting Rambarran explained that while the students who are preparing for exams are full-time students, the others would be attending classes on a shift system. He explained that it was found that there was space to accommodate the other students using a shift system. He noted that the students can attend school rather than staying home and having to be put under pressure when the school environment returns to normal.
Rambarran told Stabroek News that a team from the regional education office would be meeting with parents today to outline the arrangements made to facilitate students during the continuing construction.
