President’s College on the verge of collapse

Aug 22, 2013 News

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The government set out to destroy every bit of Burnham’s legacy- Former PC student  

By Abena Rockcliffe

Some are convinced that President’s College (PC) has been deliberately left to deteriorate because “of the simple truth” that it stands as a legacy of the late President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham’s “unique vision.”
President’s College, which was envisioned to be the school of excellence, is now operating without a Board of Directors, ever since the life of the last Board expired a year ago. The physical environment has also become a bother to most; the farm that was once thriving, now has just a few animals. The school has little or no funding and Kaieteur News understands that little is being done to save the ‘sinking ship’.

“PC is not PC anymore; they never wanted PC to maintain its standard,” were the thoughts reflected by a former President’s College student who is convinced that the school is being stifled.
Unfortunately, that former student isn’t the only one who expressed similar views.
Kaieteur News conducted a series of interviews during the last two weeks and the consensus among those interviewed is that President’s College is “on its last”.
The school was opened in 1985. It was founded by Burnham who launched the project in 1983 but died before the school opened.
Students used to be selected from the top two percent of candidates in the Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE) and subjected to an evaluation process including interviews with school personnel. Now students are allowed to transfer from lower rated schools into President’s College and preference is given to those from more remote areas. The school allows students to attend without being residential, thereby functioning as both a boarding and a day school.
Last week, Kaieteur News was told that “the government wants to change the purpose of the school. PC was better when it was the way Burnham intended it to be.”
Someone with close affiliation to the school said, “Burnham’s vision was for PC to be a self-sufficient school. PC had a thriving farm and use to sell milk, eggs and beef. That money use to pay the farm attendants plus the farm provided for the needs of the school’s population, inclusive of teachers; now PC doesn’t even have a kitchen garden.”
Kaieteur News has been told that PC’s farm now has only a few egg laying chickens, a couple of pigs and about five cows. “There is nothing much on the farm and I can’t believe that this is what it has come to. In my day the farm had almost everything. We even had horses, we learnt horseback riding,” said a former student.

This newspaper understands that the farm’s rundown is linked to “thieving and poor management. The last Board made a mess out of PC.”
A source highlighted, as well, that the sports ground in PC’s compound has also been allowed to deteriorate.
“Millions of dollars was spent on getting that playfield in order.  When I saw its condition, I asked myself if all that money was spent for it to stand up like how it is. In my day we kept sports there so we hadn’t the need to go out and we didn’t use to have to pay no other place to use their ground.”
The obviously concerned former student said that in fact, other entities use to come and use the facilities, much to the financial benefits of PC.
Speaking to the villagers, Kaieteur News understands that some village fun days were kept on the very ground that is now a definite cattle pasture.
The Pavilion that stands on the ground is being overtaken by wild vines.
Kaieteur News asked a teacher attached to PC whether weeding of the field would make it useable again for sports purposes. The teacher was less than optimistic.
“A weeding won’t work. It definitely won’t work. A lot of money has to be spent to bring that back.”
Pertaining to the ground, another source told Kaieteur News that the villagers contribute extensively to PC’s downfall, “They don’t understand what it is to have such a unique school in the village. They bring their cattle to graze in the compound.”
The source said that sometimes there are over 80 heads of cattle grazing on the field and “not one belongs to PC.”
Similarly, a parent of a first time student of the college had called in to this newspaper to highlight the unhealthy surroundings that children may have to endure. The father said that his daughter refused to go to the school after going to register and had to dodge cow dung.
Use to be an honour

Several former students of PC expressed that it used to be an honour to attend the school.
One student said that “In my time, everybody was resident and we all did what they had to do. Early morning we got up and went to the farm, and students were rounded. Attending PC was a big thing; it was the only school wearing purple and cream… Students had to be awarded here; but now all kinds of children are sent to PC so they no longer see it as a treasure; because it came easy.”
Kaieteur News understands that students are very rebellious now. This newspaper received information to the effect that the children had resorted to tampering with the electricity circuit to avoid classes.
Way forward
This publication was told that a new Board of Directors is to be installed at the school in the not too distant future.
Some staffers, who stressed the implications of being identified, said that they were told that, “we getting a better board.”
One staff member said that she will believe that when she sees the work. “We need people that are not about looking after personal gains or else we won’t have a school any longer. As of now, one could count the people that have PC’s interest at heart. If this continues, I give PC five more years, if so long.”

 

 

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