Linden primary school building collapsing

-parents threaten protest

Sections of the St Aidan’s Primary School building at Linden are showing signs of crumbing, with massive erosion taking place close to its foundation.

Parents say repeated reports of the dangerous condition of the structure made to the Department of Education and the Regional Administra-tion, Region 10, seem to have fallen on deaf ears and they are now threatening to pull their children from the school tomorrow in protest. In addition to concerns about the state of the building, parents, who have the support of teachers, also fear a potential outbreak of water borne diseases, since the availability of potable water has also been a problem. “We will work together as a [Parent-Teacher Association] to ensure that our children get access to their schooling in the meantime,” a parent said.

A section of the school’s supporting foundation that has collapsed

When contacted, Region 10 Regional Education Officer Claude Johnson told Stabroek News, “The parents don’t need to be worried… they don’t need to be agitated, we are addressing the situation.” He noted that he recently visited to the school along with engineers and Region 10 Regional Executive Officer Henry Rodney and other officials.

Regional Councillor Renis Morian, however, accused the regional officials of dragging their feet, noting that although he spoke with both Johnson and Rodney about the seriousness of the situation, no action has been taken. “It is not until something fatal occurs or a big blow up is in the news paper or when parents pull their children from the school that these officials take things seriously,” Morian said. He explained that it was during one of his routine tours of the schools that fall under his jurisdiction that he learnt of the situation at the school. Every day since, he said, he had been knocking on the doors of those responsible to have the matter addressed with urgency.

The section of the building which has started to sink

The conditions of St Aidan’s, parents say, are a far cry from the “Child-Friendly Classrooms” that have been emphasized in the theme for Education Month, which is currently being observed. On one side of the school building, seen by Stabroek News, a large section of sand and clay has been washed away by heavy rain, causing the supporting foundation to break loose. As a result, some parts of the building have started to sink. In one part of the building, the window frames had to be tied with wires to hold them in place because of the shift in the supporting wall.

In a wide open area at the rear of the building, this newspaper observed two large water tanks perched atop separate concrete trestles. The tanks, which were leaning dangerously, looked as if they had not been in use for some time, with grass growing around their base and pipelines out of place. The ground under the structures was extensively eroded. “Children would be children and this is a wide open space that would attract children desirous of a place to run and play and even hide between the trestles,” said Shondell Adams, a parent who has been vocal and active on school issues. “My skin grows when I think of that a tragedy could happen one day if this thing should fall while people’s child or children are playing around,” she added.

Parents and teachers are also concerned about the potable supply of water for the school, which they say is now rare. “Water would come in the wee hours of the morning and cut after a short while,” parent Susan Richards noted, adding that the tanks are not working. “You see what’s going on and so there is no water for the children to use.” The woman explained that there is a rusty uncovered drum in the sanitary block, where some water is stored. “I am a health professional and I know the looming crisis that exists with this,” Richards said, pointing out that despite warnings by parents and teachers, children have been consuming contaminated water stored in the drum. She said students would also use the water to wash their hands and faces. The drum is also a nesting place from mosquitoes and other pests. “I intend to fight for the safety and rights of the children of this school, I have the time and so do the other parents,” Richards added.

This drum in the school’s sanitary block stores water used by some students.

Meanwhile, a perusal of the monthly reports submitted to the Department of Education shows that reports have been made on the erosion of the building’s foundation, the water supply and student safety every month since November 2009. Additionally, Head Teacher Carol Brown has written the authorities stressing the urgency of the reports.

Despite the conditions at the school, students produced creditable results at this year’s National Grade Six Examination, which were the best recorded in the history of the school. The top ten pupils were awarded places at some of the best schools in the country, including Saint Stanislaus College, St Rose’s High School and St Joseph’s High School in the city, and Mackenzie High School, New Silvercity Secondary and Wismar Secondary, in Region 10.