Latest update December 13th, 2024 1:00 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

THE PLIGHT OF CHARITY SECONDARY SCHOOL

May 31, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
Permit me to put the spotlight on the woes of the neglected school on the Essequibo Coast: Charity Secondary School. Charity Secondary School has been in existence for in excess of 20 years. It was established to accommodate the children of the Pomeroon area, since travelling some 20 miles to Anna Regina proved to be very cost intensive for many parents, who are mostly cash crop framers and pork-knockers.
Since its advent Charity Secondary has grown considerably, what was once a population of just over 100 hundred students has now transformed into a mammoth 700 strong. Charity Secondary over the years has been struggling to maintain a high pass rate owing to the fact that the crème of the crop is shipped off to Anna Regina and the others are condemned to Charity or 8th of May Secondary Schools. Perhaps condemned seems too strong a word? No! Charity Secondary is for the most part a severely neglected school, allow me to expound
I am positively certain that it is against human right conventions for students and teachers to be denied the right to a descent sanitary facility. How can a school with just over 700 students have only four mostly non- functioning toilets! Four broken toilets that never have a regular supply of water or detergent! Only the almighty can feel the struggles of the two cleaners who try valiantly to maintain some sort of order to this filthy situation!
What adds to this already sore matter is that these toilets are located just outside classrooms housed on the ground floor. Lessons are rudely interrupted, the vulgar scent of human waste enveloping entire classrooms! Have the authorities lost all sanity to continue to have students work in such conditions? The school is pressured yearly to improve on its pass rates, how can students learn anything under such circumstances? The only thing perhaps they will learn is that they are forgotten!
Teachers aren’t spared from this hellish nightmare! Can you imagine that for a staff of over 30 teachers, mostly females, there are only two toilets, both of which have been there for the past twenty years? These two toilets suffer the same fate of the student’s facilities: no water, no detergent! Picture teachers leaving their classrooms to relieve themselves, then, having to wait for a bucket to be filled to fetch it upstairs to the DHMs office where both toilets are located.
Privacy to answer the call of nature is nothing but a luxury at Charity Secondary. Teachers are tired of complaining because they have no choice but to put up with this state of affairs. Young teachers fresh out of teacher’s college who join the staff are usually alive and buzzing with hope, only to be slapped in the face with the stink reality of these circumstances. Mr. Editor, access to a decent toilet facility is considered a basic necessity, is it too much to ask of the authorities who often claim to support the development of the education sector? These matters have reached the attention of all the necessary stakeholders dozens of times, but to no avail.
Mr. Editor this is only the tip of the iceberg, however time will only allow me to highlight this much, at this time. I will continue to utilize the power of the pen until Charity Secondary School receives the attention and respect that it deserves.
Concerned teacher

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

 

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Dream debut: Jangoo hits magnificent 104* to lead West Indies to 3-0 ODI series sweep over Bangladesh

Dream debut: Jangoo hits magnificent 104* to lead West Indies to 3-0...

Dec 13, 2024

SportsMax – On the back of a magnificent debut century by Amir Jangoo, the West Indies completed a 3-0 ODI series sweep over Bangladesh with a four-wicket triumph in the third game at Warner...
Read More
Guyana bounced out of FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup in Puerto Rico

Guyana bounced out of FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup in...

Dec 13, 2024

VMFA concludes year with memorable Football Festival

VMFA concludes year with memorable Football...

Dec 13, 2024

Resounding success for Region 6 CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited-GTTA/MoE  National Schools Table Tennis C/ships

Resounding success for Region 6 CNOOC Petroleum...

Dec 13, 2024

GCC hosts stellar awards ceremony following successful 2024

GCC hosts stellar awards ceremony following...

Dec 13, 2024

CSEC PE Golf Numbers Rising Due to Guyana Golf Association Efforts

CSEC PE Golf Numbers Rising Due to Guyana Golf...

Dec 13, 2024

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]