By Abigail Headley
Teachers in Mabaruma, Region One have voiced their frustrations over the deplorable conditions of their schools, with inadequate facilities and lack of support from authorities. Last Thursday, during the Guyana Teachers Union’s (GTU) ongoing industrial action, Venus Sharda and Charlene Jeffrey took some time off from protesting for better wages to speak with Stabroek News.
According to Sharda, a teacher at Whitewater Primary, learners are at a disadvantage because of overcrowding. She explained that the school, which was established in March 2007, was initially built to accommodate 150 students. However, it now houses 294 and counting, since enrolment is still ongoing.
“Accommodation there is really bad because we are suffering with the classrooms where all our children are crowded up and we don’t have space to accommodate anybody else, while we are still with enrolment,” she said.