Pigeon infestation… MoE to conduct assessment at schools across ECD, EBD

Oct 17, 2025 News

(Kaieteur News) – The Ministry of Education will be conducting an assessment at schools across the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara to address pigeon infestation, subject minister Sonia Parag said on Thursday.

Pigeon infestation… MoE to conduct assessment at schools across ECD, EBD

Minister of Education, Sonia Parag

Minister Parag, speaking on the sidelines of an event at the Office of the President, spoke specifically to the situation at the Beterverwagting (BV) Primary School said that at the weekend, officials will ensure that areas that allow for the entrance of pigeons to the school are covered.

“What we have done now is that we’re going to be covering the holes, the exposed areas with some mesh, and we’ll try to do that over the weekend when children are not in schools,” she stated.

The minister, while noting that pigeon infestation at that school has been an ongoing issue, she noted that the responsibility falls on the regional administration. Notwithstanding, she said the Ministry of Education will ensure that the situation is remedied soonest.

“We will engage the parents and the children as well. I can’t do anything about the pigeon population, but what I can do is assess the schools where we have any exposures in terms of vent but we also can’t close off ventilation. So, we have to look at suitable material that we can use to at least have those areas be covered off, which is what we’re looking at and we’re doing like an assessment across the East Coast as well as the East Bank,” minister explained.

Meanwhile, Minister Parag told reporters that based on the assessment of a doctor from the Enmore Regional Hospital who examined the children from the BV Primary School who fell ill, their illness is not related to the pigeon infestation.

“That’s what we were informed and so they were okay,” she stated.

On Tuesday, the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party made public the situation at the school. In a statement, the political party said that the pigeon infestation in the classroom and around the school’s compound is severe.

“The build-up of droppings and nesting debris makes the classroom unsanitary. Pigeon waste exposes students and teachers to harmful bacteria and allergens daily,” WIN stated. The party even published images of ill students lying on chairs joined together in a classroom.

WIN said there have been multiple complaints to the Ministry of Education, yet the institution remains in an unacceptable condition.

This publication has since reported that the school was closed from Thursday as the regional administration works to address the pigeon infestation.

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EBD, ECD, Minister of Education, pigeon infestation, Sonia Parag

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