Dear Editor,
Editor, recently I was privileged to visit a primary school, and with anger, I wondered who has the responsibility to make life and security better for us and our children? From the road, the plumbing was riddled with faults, and the electrical work is such a dismay, that expensive equipment keeps getting damaged, only to be replaced, instead of finding the faults and rectifying them to prevent future mishaps. The requirement to earth off any building is an approved earth rod, but the genius was so greedy, he used a regular construction steel rod, which was rotted in two. Before a contractor is fully paid for his work, that work has to be inspected, so who inspected and approved same? That person should be jailed for putting children and people’s life at risk. One school I inspected, and everywhere I turned, shoddy work was pointed out to me, so when will we get quality work for money being spent?
Finally, Editor, the announcement of the $9B dollars for renovations of schools would be a relief to many, but how many have actually inspected a school to see if the money was well spent? How many of those schools, slated for renovation, were recently completed? The loss of lives arising from the Mahdia fire causes me to think that it would have been an eye-opener for everyone, even the administration that pretends to care, but sadly, that’s not the case. I expected all schools to be carefully inspected and preventative measures in place to prevent any future disaster. Whilst contracts are being given out, no one is monitoring to see if it is shoddy works being carried out, but the government jumps to the front in order to steal the limelight. Meanwhile, as the incompetent contractor walks away smiling our children are being schooled in the most uncomfortable conditions with their lives at risk.
Sincerely,
Sahadeo Bates
