The Catholic Education Board of Management (CEBM) is awaiting the Ministry of Education for recommendations regarding the next step for the Ortoire RC Primary school which has a condemned building.
“We are communicating with the Ministry of Education to provide a temporary building to accommodate the students,” Sharon Mangroo, Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Education Board of Management told The Catholic News today, Tuesday September 5.
Contacted for comment, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly concurred with this information.
On Monday, parents began protesting the cramped and unsafe conditions in which classes must be conducted since the main school building was condemned over a year ago. A representative of the Parent Teachers’ Association in an interview with TV6 said parents would continue protesting today.
Two buildings are presently being shared by administration and pupils. There are 201 children attending the school and the arrangements in place were called “really unacceptable”.
She mentioned the promise of an installation of a pre-fabricated structure during the July-August vacation which did not materialise. “We are here clamouring to the authorities, the powers that be, the MoE, Catholic Board, whoever could give us an ear. That is unacceptable, our children are at risk.”
She pointed out that children have to walk through the condemned section to access toilet facilities and the possibility of injury happening. Some time ago, a child fell into a sewer and the cover was subsequently replaced. The PTA representative also highlighted the nearby savannah which is overgrown and like a “swamp”.
She appealed for help saying the children of Ortoire RC deserve better. She was asked about the impact of conditions on the academic performance, and she said, “in an uncomfortable situation, you can’t expect the children to excel…and the teachers are demotivated”.