Deplorable state of Ituni Primary School sparks protest

Jan 10, 2017 News

-parents refuse to send children until it’s rectified
Yesterday marked the first day for schools to be reopened across the country, for the second term of the academic year 2016/2017.
And what seemed like a normal first day, was cancelled, when the parents from

Protesters in front of the school.

the small logging community of Ituni accompanied their primary-aged children to school, but were forced to send them back home due to the deplorable conditions they encountered.
As a result of the school’s condition, the parents staged a protest yesterday, with the expressed aim of getting the relevant authorities to rectify the issues affecting the school. The school is originally the Howell Wilson Primary School, but it is more commonly referred to as the Ituni Primary School.
The protest lasted for about seven hours, as parents and some of their children stood in front of the school with placards, some of which read, “Our children are playing hopscotch to climb the stairs, Help!” and
”No repair, no school”, among many others.
There have reportedly been countless complaints sent to the Ministry of Education relating to the school being in a deplorable state. However, no response has been given.

A toilet at the Howell Wilson Primary School.

Kiesha Griffith, the Community’s Development Officer said that the last time repairs were done to the school was about two years ago. She said that this included repainting of the building and repairing of lighting bulbs. And although many other issues were raised, nothing was done about it by the Regional Democratic Council, who was responsible for the repainting and replacement of the lighting.
Griffith said that the corridor in front of the school and classrooms are rotten, while the three steps leading up to the building are all shaking. The toilet facilities remain a huge health concern for parents with only one functioning washroom for an entire school population.
The parents said that complaints were made about a year ago about the school’s condition and also before school closed in December 2016, but they have not gotten any favourable response. The parents said that they have reached a point where protesting seemed like their best option.
However, the teachers remained inside the school compound as the parents protested outside the gates of the school.
Kaieteur News tried contacting the Chief Education Officer (acting), Marcel Hutson for a comment, but he was unavailable. This publication also tried contacting education officials in Region Ten (Upper Demerara, Upper Berbice), but again no one was available for a comment.

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