Latest update November 23rd, 2024 12:57 AM
“One teacher cannot teach 100 students”
A section of the parents outside of the Bagotville Primary School yesterday.
Parents shut down Bagotville Primary in protest
Parents of students attending the Bagotville Primary School on the West Bank of Demerara, yesterday staged a protest and shut down the institution, because of what they described as an unacceptable situation – a lack of teachers.
When this newspaper arrived at the location there was a padlock on the gate and students, parents and other concerned residents stood with placards. At one time police ranks arrived on the scene and broke the lock off the school’s gate. However after the ranks left the scene another lock was placed on the gate.
According to concerned parents, they have been putting up with the situation for the past three to four years. One parent, Christina Scott who spoke with this newspaper said she has three children attending the school, and for the longest while there has only been one teacher at the entire institution.
Like the other parents who converged at the school yesterday, Scott said she was at her wits’ end with promises from the Education Ministry and the Regional Office. The woman explained that recently the school’s head teacher was complemented with a staff of three other teachers.
However the three teachers, the parents explained, did not help the situation in anyway. According to the parents, currently one of the teachers is on sympathy leave, another is attending the University of Guyana, leaving only one to tend to some 107 students.
The parents said that the school has been without running water for some time now, as well as a security guard. This newspaper was told that the students of the school are left at the mercy of a man, who from all indications, is mentally ill.
“Dis man does deh in de burial ground whole day and when dem children come out fuh play he does come out and show dem children he private part.”
However this newspaper was informed by a police that the man was placed before the court twice for the same accusations. In addition, the parents say on one occasion when they approached a high-ranking regional official for assistance in getting the school yard cleaned they were reportedly told to “walk around the community, house to house and ask for donations”.
Parents also expressed concern over the continuous decline in the students’ performance. As such they are calling for the school to be merged with another or for it to be given its full complement of teachers.
“All the education people keep saying is that our school is a Grade E and they are not doing anything to upgrade the school…Bagotville Primary was doing well and now it just falling apart,”.
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