Pigeon-infested Charlestown school reopens

Jan 23, 2025 News

Kaieteur News- The pigeon-infested Charlestown Secondary School has reopened following suspension of classes by the Education Ministry after students and teachers had complained about the situation.

Classes at the school resumed on Wednesday. Kaieteur News was told that a contingency plan was put in place to accommodate two levels of students per day, until the issue with the pigeons is fully resolved. On Wednesday, students of Grade 11 and eight were arranged for classes, while the other levels were taught online. A teacher who asked not to be named told Kaieteur News that the students are housed in “The lower flat and the eastern section of the school where the science laboratories are.” It was highlighted that the Ministry of Education fumigated the area to remove the pigeons; however, some are still lingering around the school. Additionally, work is set to begin on blocking all vents to prevent pigeons from entering the school building.

Pigeon-infested Charlestown school reopens

The flock of pigeons that was at the school during the pigeon infestation

Kaieteur News reported that on January 3, 2025 a pregnant cleaner was pecked in her left eye while on duty by the pigeons. She was immediately placed on medical leave. This incident highlighted the dangers under the teaching and ancillary staff as well as the students were faced with daily, with some teachers even reporting the symptoms of illnesses linked to exposure to pigeon droppings. While on the scene on January 14, 2025, Kaieteur News had observed a flock of pigeons gathered around the school, with teachers and students standing outside the building. Further, teachers and students alike had reported longstanding issues with the pigeons, which had taken over several classrooms, particularly on the upper floor of the school. The classrooms at the time when this newspaper visited were littered with pigeon droppings and nests, creating an unhygienic and unsafe environment for both students and staff. “When you look around, you will see what is happening. This has been going on for years, but it’s getting worse…,” a teacher at the school had expressed.

Cliffon Johnson, another school teacher had explained that despite previous attempts to control the pigeon population, including the installation of mesh barriers, the problem persisted. “Over ten years (it has been happening), we can’t pinpoint which year it started but over the years, it kept continuing. Yes, yes, they (Ministry of Education) came; they put up some mesh but it made no sense because the pigeons going through the mesh,” Johnson said. “Right now, it’s mating season, coccidiosis is in the air, because those pigeons are carrying the coccidiosis virus, the mere fact that people scratching is coccidiosis. Most of the classrooms in the upper flat are affected,” another teacher had said. At the school on January 14, 2025, a few students recalled pigeon dung use to be on their desks. “So if you don’t watch where you sitting, it used to be on your clothes…”

(Pigeon-infested Charlestown school reopens)

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Ministry of Education, pigeons, resumed classes, students, teachers

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