“More stringent approach will be taken to address pigeon infestation” – Parag says during visit to BV school

Oct 26, 2025 News

The Beterverwagting Primary School.

(Kaieteur News) – Following calls for Minister of Education, Sonia Parag to have a first-hand look at the pigeon infestation plaguing the Beterverwagting Primary School, the minister and a team visited the school on Saturday.

Minister of Education, Sonia Parag and other officials inspecting the Beterverwagting Primary School on Saturday.

While there, she said that a more stringent approach is being taken to address the situation.

The Ministry of Education in a press statement said that it has engaged the services of a contractor that specializes in pigeon control, mitigation, and proofing as a means of further addressing a recurring pigeon infestation at several schools along the East Coast of Demerara.

The ministry said the BV Primary School will be thoroughly pressure-washed and outfitted with a specific type of galvanized mesh to keep the birds out, as well a particular type of gel treatment will also be applied to the roof of the school building to prevent the birds from lingering.

Given the nature of the remedy, the ministry said that following consultations with the school’s administration and its Parent/Teachers Association (PTA), “a decision was taken for the Grade Six pupils to return to the school on Monday, while the others would be given worksheets to complete from home until the situation is fully under control.”

The statement assured that every effort is being made to reduce the period the children would be away from school.

“For this particular issue, given that it’s several schools, we are looking at what we can do long-term, as a government and as the Ministry of Education,” Parag was quoted as saying.

She also instructed that the school closure for the Christmas period be used to deep clean all affected schools.

“This is a problem that has been explained to me, will not go away overnight, but it will go away, hopefully within a short space of time, and over time, it will continue to reduce,” the Minister said.

Further, the ministry noted that curbing the infestation may also require some behavioural changes within the community itself. This was observed by officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who also accompanied Minister Parag on the site visits.

Speaking on the issue, Michel Swanston Nurse, Head of the Technical Services Department (Air, Noise and Radiation) of the EPA said, “Residents are feeding the pigeons in the vicinity of the school, and this is contributing to the bird population getting out of control.”

She reasoned that “while it may seem kind to feed them, it results in droppings from these birds in excessive amounts.”

The officer noted also that EPA would be working with the Guyana Wildlife Management and Conservation Commission to raise awareness, especially in areas prone to pigeon infestations.

On Saturday, the minister and her team also visited the Annandale and Golden Grove Secondary Schools which have similar issues.

The ministry said that stakeholders will be engaged on the actions that will be taken in the affected schools.

On October 14, 2025, the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party said it was informed about the pigeon infestation in the classrooms and around the compound was 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.

This then led to attention of education officials ordering that the school be closed so the Regional Administration can do improve the school’s condition. Having completed remedial works during that period, the school was closed again this week after parents protested the insufficiency of what was done.

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BV Primary School, mitigation, pigeon control, pigeon infestation, Sonia Parag, We Invest in Nationhood

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