Govt. shuts down pigeon-plagued BV school

Oct 24, 2025 News

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(Kaieteur News) – The Ministry of Education announced Thursday that the doors to the Beterverwagting Primary School and Special Needs Centre have been closed due to the high infestation of pigeons.

In a release Thursday, the ministry sought to assure parents and students that measures will be implemented to recover the instructional time lost.

“This temporary closure is to facilitate additional cleaning, ongoing rehabilitative works, and the implementation of a permanent solution to address the pigeon infestation,” the ministry noted in its statement.

The ministry further reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring students and teachers are provided with a safe and supportive environment conducive to effective teaching and learning.

Earlier on Thursday, furious parents lined the outskirts of the school, expressing frustration over the worsening pigeon infestation affecting the institution.

After the issue of the infestation surfaced on social media last week, classes were suspended from October 16 for the regional administration to address the issue.

However, when school resumed this week, parents again expressed concern and disappointment over the condition of classrooms, noting that the remedial works done at the school were insufficient.

Members of the media on Thursday morning visited the school, where they met some pupils and parents outside of a locked school compound.

Expressing his disappointment to the media, president of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Alvin McCurdy said he locked the gates of the school in protest.

“I’m president of the PTA board of Beterverwagting Primary School.  This morning we have taken a decision to close the gates of the school because of the condition of the school. As much as work is being done at the school, it’s not sufficient. Also, the environment is not conducive for learning or teaching,” he explained.

The PTA president stated that teachers are frustrated and children are becoming sick every day.  Because of this, parents are afraid to send their children to school.

“So, this morning, we decided that enough is enough. We’re going to close the school, and we’re asking the minister (Sonia Parag) to come in. We don’t want her to send anybody, we want her to come herself so that she can see the situation, make a better assessment of the situation,” he related.

McCurdy noted that as much as work is being done, the workers painted the school before sanitising. “We’d also like them to close the school so that the work could be done faster and in a better manner. Those are the two things we’re asking questions,” he mentioned.

The president added that even though remedial works were done over the weekend, the pigeons relocated to other sections of the building.

Speaking on the issue also, was the former PTA president Marlin Rodney, who shared that after she was informed about the situation at the school, she did her own checks and observed that the building was in a “deplorable” state.

In addition to the pigeon filth, she explained that “When you go into the washroom there is no water on the left-hand side of the school. At the back of the school the drain clogged, you go to the back of school where they put vents for these pigeons, its pigeon eggs and pigeons that are soon to come out. When you come down to where you have the special children, it’s the same thing. The roof, the dust is so much the teachers can’t open their bowls to eat even students.”

Noting that teachers and learners cannot function in this deplorable state, she noted that this has been going on for over three years.

Asked what solution she thinks could remedy the problem, Rodney stated that “My solution to the problem, I think they should close the school for a week, give the students a chance to stay at home. Spray the school, power wash the whole school, then let teachers, parents and children come back to the school, because every day and every week we are going to get hospital running.”

She added that with proper spraying of the school it would keep the pigeons away.

While parents gathered at the school gate, some ranks of the Guyana Police Force came to observe the situation.

Shortly after, PPP/C Regional Councilor, Neville Cumberbatch arrived where he confronted and inquired from the PTA president about the decision to close the gates. He said no one, other than senior education officials, has the directive to close the gates.

Speaking to the PTA president and other parents there, Cumberbatch disclosed that since the school was closed last week, everything was done to remedy the problem.

He further told the media that “The RDC have taken the actions that were recommended by the schools’ administration. Those recommendations were that the pigeons were going into some classrooms. There were some works that were done. On the day of the incident, I came myself and the Chairman of the NDC came along. Based on the information received, we went into the school and assess the situation, the HM was asked to prepare the immediate needs of the school, that was done, and that was submitted.”

He explained that they had blocked off all the areas that were identified to them as to where the pigeons would gain entry in some of the classrooms.

When informed that the parents stated that the works were not sufficient, Cumberbatch reiterated that works were based on the “immediate needs assessment” which was submitted by the headmaster.

Addressing the other issues affecting the school, the allegations of no running water, the regional councilor stated, “When we came, we saw water there. The only problem we get is what all the schools and what some of our own homes have, it maybe some iron in the water and there is nothing we can do about that.”

While at the school, Cumberbatch accompanied the media to have a look inside the school building to see the works that were done.

In doing so, he demonstrated that a tap outside the school had running water but when checked to see if water was coming at the washroom sinks, there was none at the time.

 

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• BV school, pigeon, PPP/C, shuts down

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