Teachers and parents of students attending the South Road Nursery are trying to save the school from being phased out.
At a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting held at St Stanislaus College yesterday, parents were told that the teachers are seeking land on behalf of the school. The land would be used to construct a new building to house the 14 teachers and over 200 children, who now occupy the ground floor of the Dorothy Bailey Health Centre.
At the meeting, which Stabroek News attended, parents were told that the staff had been informed by the Deputy Chief Education Officer-Nursery (DCEO) and acting Chief Education Officer (CEO) in December that they would have to find a place to house the school.
No clarification was given as to why teachers have been asked to perform procurement functions, which fall far outside their contracted duties. Attempts by Stabroek News to contact acting CEO Marcel Hutson proved futile since his phone went unanswered.
Parents were told the ministry has taken a decision to phase out the school since it constantly floods, exposing students and staff to unsanitary conditions. Though these floods had abated after the 2015 city clean-up efforts, recent intense rainfall coupled with high tides had caused the building to flood damaging teaching aids and books belonging to teachers.
It is reported that when this was brought to the attention of the ministry, teachers were asked to locate a rental property for use “in case it floods in January.” These attempts failed and they were informed that the school would be closed after this academic year.
In response, a letter was penned to Minister of Education Dr Rupert Roopnaraine presenting alternatives supported by a petition signed by a majority of the parents.
Though he did not question the information provided, PTA President Gerald Moonsammy acknowledged that it was puzzling that the ministry would have made a request of the teachers to find accommodation.
“It is a school that is supposed to be under the ministry, so that in situations such as this it should be their responsibility to house the students in a reasonable… building that is conducive to learning rather than put the burden on the teachers. That is not reasonable. The ministry has been aware of the situation at South Road for many years, so they had enough time to find a suitable space,” Moonsammy said.
Moonsammy and the other parents were also told that Town Clerk Royston King had informed the school that the city would be taking over the compound. It was claimed that the council had been approached to allow the ministry to build a suitable space for the nursery school in the compound and while former mayor Hamilton Green had given verbal permission, this was rescinded by King, who indicated that council staff would have to use the space to park.
Asked by Stabroek News to respond to these claims, King said that they were absurd. “I was never officially approached about any construction in the compound. What I did hear is that persons were desirous of extending the building to better house South Road Nursery but that is something we would be unable to approve. Dorothy Bailey is a heritage building,” he said, adding that he has no plans to create a parking lot in the compound either. “How could we turn that compound into a parking area when we have our daycare, our public health people as well as our food and hygiene people there? It’s absurd,” King said.
