The Parent-Teacher’s Association of the Covent Garden Secondary School is calling on the authorities to address the issue of overcrowding which it says has been a reality at the school over the last few years.

Stabroek News visited the East Bank Demerara school yesterday and spoke to members of the school’s PTA who related that the problem has been affecting children attending the school particularly those in the first and second form. Yonette Kennedy of the school’s PTA told this newspaper that a major concern is that a number of classes have been assembled in the school’s auditorium. Kennedy noted that at the beginning of the new school year each September, a number of students are admitted to the school.

While this newspaper was at the school yesterday a few classes were in session in the school’s auditorium. Most of the makeshift classrooms were separated by blackboards and the voices of teachers can be heard discussing various subject areas with students.

When contacted yesterday, an Education Ministry official told this newspaper that the issue of overcrowding has prevailed for sometime now. She noted that schools on the East Bank of Demerara may have overcrowding problems since a number of housing schemes  are being opened by the authorities in that area. She said placement of students at schools usually goes hand in hand with the Ministry’s future plans as she noted that the recently opened Diamond Secondary School was built with the intention of easing the problem. She said however, many students who live at the Diamond Housing Scheme have been ‘flocking’ the school for admission. The official noted that under the Secondary School Reform Project, the education ministry had undertaken expansion measures at the Covent Garden Secondary school on a few occasions to accommodate additional student intake over the years.

The school’s PTA has been in contact with a parliamentary committee on a number of unrelated issues and the body intends to discuss the issue with the committee as well as with officials of the Ministry of Education.