Region Ten Regional Executive Officer Henry Rodney says rehabilitative works at the Mackenzie High School are expected to be completed within ten days to allow classes to reconvene.
On Monday last, head teacher Cheryl McDonald had implemented a board of governors decision to suspend classes until the stairs to the Linden Concert Hall (LICHAS) building where some classes are held, were fixed. For some months the landing and corridor in the building have been in a deplorable and unsafe state, with no redress from the region’s administration.
However, Rodney, in an exclusive interview with Stabroek News, said he first learnt of the condition of the school in a casual conversation with a parent. He also said it was near the end of the financial year before McDonald had informed him of the situation. Rodney said that while it was impossible for him to source funding for the rehabilitative works at that time of year, it was included in the works budget and programme for 2007 and even so he had to source emergency funds since about 300 students were sent home pending repairs to the building. He said the school’s parent/teachers association was recently told of these measures and that he is making good on this commitment.
Rodney said that while the $1.1M contract was awarded to LH Headley International last Thursday, and work began on Monday, he is very disturbed that no mechanism was put in place to accommodate the children who occupied the LICHAS. Rodney contended that his office had timed the rehabilitative works for a period when school would not have been in session so that it would not have interrupted the children’s education. He said McDonald told him that since the action was taken the school’s administration had devised a mechanism which saw only half of the students returning to school. This measure was in place for one week after which the students were sent home.
The REO said several parents have asked him to intervene as this will be the third week that the students will be at home. During the interview Rodney conveyed his disappointment and implied that the Department of Education’s style of management is poor and is causing his office undue strain. Rodney said the department should, by now, have worked with the school to ensure that no child is denied tuition. “I am willing to work out a reasonable payment arrangement for teachers if the department of education and the school’s heads worked out an arrangement that required the teachers spending extra hours at school for double sessions arrangements for the students,” he said.
Rodney said he recently discussed this issue with McDonald and is hoping that some programme is put in place very soon so the students could access tuition.
Meanwhile, Rodney said he hopes that the contractor lives up to his commitment to complete the works in ten days while at the same time, not compromising quality for speedy completion.
The works entail renovating the building’s veranda, roof and gutters, floor and overhead walls and painting some sections. Work is also expected to be done in the sanitary block. (Cathy Wilson)
