Parents closed the doors of the St Ignatius Primary School in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) last Friday because of the lack of potable water.
Classes are to resume today after supplies were sent to the school and an emergency meeting has been scheduled between members of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and the Deputy Regional Executive Officer (REO). Stabroek News was unable to make contact with the deputy REO yesterday.
According to PTA member Carl Parker, the PTA is closely monitoring the situation and parents would not be satisfied with “any stop gap measure.” He said only permanent arrangements to service the school’s population would be satisfactory. He added that the REO, who is out of the region, failed to respond to two letters from the PTA about the issue. The most recent letter was sent last month and the PTA had warned that if the situation was not rectified, it would close the school’s doors. When there was no response, the school gate was padlocked last Friday and children were sent home. The school was also closed yesterday. Parker explained that the school was built three years ago “in the middle of [the] savannah,” some distance away from the heart of the village and without potable water or electricity. He said because of the location of the school, many of the children have to trek for about half an hour in the hot sun across the savannah to get to classes. “They have to carry their books and water also because by the time they arrive – you would understand – they are thirsty and there is no water for them to drink,” the parent said. He added that while the village has running water supplied by a well once there is electricity, it stops about 400 metres away from the school. The parent, who was supported by another parent who did not want to be named, noted that for some time the PTA has been appealing to the regional authority to provide water for the school. Although there is a well located near the school, the parents said, it has dried up because of lack of maintenance. Meanwhile, a pump donated to the school remains unused. “The children have no water to wash their hands before eating and the place is very dusty and sandy and you know when the children finish playing in the yard their hands would be dirty but there is no water to wash their hands…” Parker said.
He also said the school’s sanitary facilities are in a deplorable condition. The school has flush toilets that are overflowing and pit latrines that are also untidy.
At the school there is also a soup kitchen which provides the children with hot meals but the lack of water has also affected its operations. “Many times, those who operate the kitchen have to beg people to fetch water for them,” Parker said. He also pointed out that the kitchen was recently closed by the sanitary officer because of its unsanitary condition. “I agree with the officer – the kitchen has reopened but it might be closed again because there is no water to really keep it clean, water is difficult to get,” he declared.
In addition to the lack of water, dust and sand in the interior of the school are also problems. Parker said the school’s floors are concrete but they have since been almost reduced to sand as the concrete has been eaten away. “So the children are existing in sand and dust and it is not healthy for them, it is a health hazard,” he said.
