Another Port Kaituma School engages protest to highlight concerns

Sep 26, 2013 News

In what appears to be a contagious syndrome occurring around the country in recent times, picketing action was yesterday engaged in the Region One area of Port Kaituma.

Some of the picketing students and parents

Frustrated parents, along with their children, who are students of the Port Kaituma Secondary School, commenced the intense picketing exercise around 08:00 hours protesting a number of concerns at the school.
With concerns ranging from a shortage of teachers to the unkempt state of the environment, the protesting contingent even dared to padlock the school gate effectively prohibiting the start of school, yesterday.
This is the second time in one week that the area has been the venue of protest action. Last week teachers of the Port Kaituma Primary staged a sit-in to protest similar concerns.
And protest actions have occurred at the La Parfaite Harmonie and the Parika-Salem Primary Schools since the start of the school year too.
Displaying placards which, among other things, stated, “We fed up! Every term is the same thing” and “We ain’t want to see no officer, we need teachers”, the protestors yesterday vocalised their concerns to whomever would listen.
And according to some of the parents the students of Grade Nine and those preparing for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examination are among those that are most disadvantaged.
The parents explained that not only does the school have a population of about 681 students and 21 classes but there are only 14 teachers. None of the teachers are qualified to teach Mathematics.
The protesting parents were distraught over the fact that although this is the fourth week since the commencement of the new school year, the yard is still not in an acceptable condition since it has not been weeded.
So intense was the picketing action that it attracted the attention of ranks of the Guyana Police Force who arrived in the company of a Child Protection Officer.
The Regional Education Officer (REDO) soon after arrived at the school and summoned the Head Teacher along with the concerned parents to a meeting.

A section of the weed-covered yard of Port Kaituma Secondary School.

This publication understands that by the end of the meeting a labourer from Mabaruma arrived armed with a brush-cutter in order to weed the compounds of the nursery, primary and secondary schools of Port Kaituma.
One Mathematics teacher has been identified for the Secondary School although no date was set for her to commence her duty.
This publication was also informed that teachers will be sent to the Port Kaituma area once there is suitable accommodation, a matter that needs to be addressed.
The meeting saw the Regional Education Officer pleading for teachers to apply to teach in the Port Kaituma area as soon as possible.