With the new school year set to begin tomorrow, students of the Brickdam Secondary School will be occupying a facility in East La Penitence until the Ministry of Education (MoE) delivers on its promise of a new building in the near future.
This decision comes after the condition of the building which houses the school on Brickdam was called into question by parents and teachers, who decried the facilities as inadequate near the conclusion of the previous school term.
This resulted in a decision by the MoE to temporarily shut down the school and have students and teachers relocated to other schools in the city as a temporary solution.
However, the thought of students being dispersed to different schools did not sit well with the school body, thus the decision was rescinded, thereby allowing students and teachers to remain in the building until the completion of the school year as the ministry considered other viable options.
This being said, the MoE has now taken a decision to have the students occupy facilities on Freeman Street, East La Penitence that formerly housed the East La Penitence Primary School.
Having made the announcement, Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine also said preparations are being made for submissions to the Ministry of Finance for provisions in the 2017 budget for the construction of a new school for the students.
City councillor Malcom Ferreira, who is a parent of a student attending the school, noted that while he supports the decision to have the students relocated from the current building, he has not yet been able to inspect the new location.
Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that the ministry would have considered the students’ need for adequate facilities and a safe building.
Similar sentiments were shared by teachers of the school, one of whom applauded the ministry for its efforts to accommodate the students and staff of the school at the new building. Thus, they await tomorrow’s reopening with full excitement.
On the other hand, Stabroek News was told that some parents have shared concerns over the new location due to the close proximity of a squatting area as well as the open use of illicit drugs in the school’s immediate environs.
Additionally, Stabroek News was told that several parents have opted to have their child/children transferred to other schools rather than having them return for the new school term.