Mae’s environment not conducive to learning

Dear Editor,

I am in total agreement with the parent who expressed disgust at the administrators of Mae’s Schools in the April 19, 2016 edition of Stabroek News.

Due to an unjust and unlawful act which was meted out to the grade six teachers, they reportedly absented themselves from the institution for three days. In relation to the above, we the parents were invited to a meeting which was held on Wednesday April 13, 2016. There, one of the administrators of the school sought to demean the good names of the teachers in question. This did not go down well with us parents who hold these teachers in very high esteem. At this point all hell broke loose as we refused to leave the school’s premises unless we were given an audience with the teachers.

Upon realizing that this was not forthcoming, we took it upon ourselves and escorted the teachers to the meeting. Upon arrival, it was evident that the school official was quaking in his boots. However, he composed himself and proceeded to interrogate the grade six teachers who made minced meat of him. The teachers said that an official of the primary department read to them a correspondence which informed them that with effect from April 1, 2016, they were no longer entitled to $20,000 of their monthly earnings.

The teachers also claimed that no reason or forewarning was given for the $20,000 reduction in salary. At this point the official denied any knowledge of the correspondence when he was asked to comment on the teachers’ claim.

The shock that registered on the faces of the teachers was palpable. At one point we thought one of them would have fainted. Never-the-less, what brought the meeting to a climax, was when the teachers challenged another official of the school to verify whether she had received the said correspondence and had read it to them (Grade 6 teachers). The official, who was caught between a rock and a hard place, had no other choice but to echo the

teachers’ claim as true and correct. We the parents of Mae’s Schools have lost all respect for the management and administrators of this institution.

Apart from this, the school environment is not conducive to teaching and learning. Below are some the areas which call for concern.

The school is not properly ventilated

Some of the ceiling fans are defunct.

The toilets are insanitary

A narrow internal stairway is allocated as a fire escape. (This is more of a fire trap)

The ceiling of the uppermost floor collects water and may collapse on our children at any moment.

Whenever the rain falls many sections of the school become wet

There is the threat of a fire outbreak

The class rooms are extremely hot and as a result, our children develop rashes. In order to bring some sort of relief to our children, we are forced to furnish the school with fans.

Yours faithfully,

(Names and address supplied)