TEACHERS in training at the Cyril Potter College of Education recently staged a protest allegedly because they were being given food of poor quality and were having to endure deplorable conditions at the facility.

The students refused to eat breakfast, which they alleged consisted of “hard boiled channa and one cup of tea”, and instead vented their concerns by writing slogans on a chalkboard in a classroom. They complained about the small amounts of food they were being given, which was expected to last them for several hours.
Although members of the media were prevented from seeing the students during their protest, students reportedly sat in the dining room and refused to eat the small portions being served until they received a proper meal.
Another student reported that they were given “some broken up biscuits and some channa that were not even properly pressurized”. Others complained that chicken prepared by cooks at the institution had not been prepared properly, and had been ‘rank’ on many occasions.
The students also expressed concern about the stagnant and smelly water in the compound, including that from a faulty sewage pipe at the college. On November 27, the East Coast Demerara had experienced flooding caused by incessant heavy rainfall.
An overflowing sewage mechanism was also seen in the compound, and students said the sewage system was malfunctioning under the dormitory. The students were forced to walk on a makeshift bridge made of benches and chairs to enter and leave the dormitory.
Chief Education Officer Olato Sam has since disagreed that the protest was the best recourse available to the students, although he assured that steps were being taken to alleviate the concerns of the more than 200 live-in students.

(By Alex Wayne)