Dear Editor,
After several years of neglect by the management, teachers and Regional Democratic Council of Region 5, the Cotton Tree Primary School has finally been cleaned. The entire school compound was in a deplorable state, with high bushes; garbage scattered all over; running vines aback of the sanitary block; weeds at the point where you enter the front gate facing the public road, with garbage piled on one side, high grass and a broken billboard. The last-mentioned was a disgrace, since it had been standing there for a number of years, while the drain behind the school back fence was also filled with garbage and high bushes, (just in front the Rosignol-Zeelust NDC Works Chairman‘s house).
The area was finally cleaned by the Regional Department of Education officials, as a consequence of action taken by two AFC regional councillors, namely, Cindy Sookdeo and Herman Anthony, who visited the school on Friday April 13, 2012. The AFC councillors took pictures of the school compound and environment which were subsequently posted on Facebook. They also interviewed the individual who is responsible for cleaning the school, who was quoted as saying, “They nah give me no gloves and long boots to clean the blocks; the school is very nasty all over, and they paying me $15,000 a month to clean em every day.” I live not far from the school, and it is only after the AFC councillors left the school compound that the regional officials came in the afternoon to examine its unhealthy conditions.
The ineffectiveness and lack of awareness of the Region 5 RDC was evident, since the school had been in a terrible state for a long time. I should not forget to mention that I made repeated telephone calls to the Department of Education to address the problem, but with no response. Once again praise must be given to the two AFC councillors.
Yours faithfully,
Rabindranauth Harrigopaul
