WITH a growing student population, the Charity Secondary School is beset with a host of problems, all of which cannot be addressed immediately; but the poor washroom facilities, a major health threat, requires urgent attention.On a recent visit to the school, the Guyana Chronicle observed that of the six washrooms that cater to the school’s more than 800 students, all are in a rundown state, and only five are working. A

thick orange-coloured water stain is evident all over the toilets, which are slippery and emit a very pungent spell. The two washrooms which the teachers use also have problems, and water has to be fetched to flush them after use.

NEGLECT
Over at the Charity dormitory, a short distance away, the boys’ bathroom is also in a poor state. A pipe in the bathroom has been broken for some time, thus the floor in the area is perpetually flooded, and children have to be careful how they walk, to avoid a slide and violent fall on the tiled floor.

Discoloured by thick water stain, the entire area resembles a holding area for hardened criminals rather than a place for hinterland students pursuing a secondary education.

One of the dorm mothers told this publication that during the recent El Nino dry weather period, the water tanks supplying the boys’ bathrooms hardly had water, and even though their early replenishment was requested of the region, this took days to happen.

The water in the tanks eventually ran out, and all the boys in the dorms were forced to bathe in a nearby canal.

The laundry area at the girls’ section is in a more horrible state than what obtains at the boys’ section.

From the look of things, it appears that these facilities have been in a state of neglect for a long time, and little or no attention has been paid to get them fixed, even while the children continue to suffer.

President of the Charity Secondary School Parent-Teachers Association, Deleep Singh, said he is very frustrated with the situation at hand, and has tried to get an audience with Regional Executive Officer Rupert Hopkinson, but to no avail.

Mr Hopkinson told this newspaper that he is aware of the problem at the Charity Secondary School, but is unaware of any effort by Mr Singh to contact him for a discussion to address the problem at the school.
He said the washrooms at the school will be relocated to an area where there is better access to water, but he could not say when these works will begin.

The REO appears unaware of the issues at the student dorms nearby, but said all issues affecting the school will be addressed. He pointed out that the region has only one plumber, but he has contracted the services of another to speed up the work.

The PTA President was, however, not too impressed by the REO’s comments. He contends that while he is happy to hear that issues affecting the school will be addressed, no timeline was given to do so. And the situation continues to worsen.

“So far, for this year, from the reports I have gotten, close to 200 students had to get treatment at the Charity Hospital for diarrhoea and typhoid. Of this number, a large number of girls had yeast infection. This problem is pushing us to the tipping point; we have exercised patience, but it is running out. We would like the REO to treat these matters with due attention.

“I listen to the President (David Granger) and I deeply admire his vision for education, but he (President Granger) will be appalled if he knows what is happening here,” Mr. Singh said.

COMPLAINTS OF SICKNESS
It does not appear that all the illnesses identified by the PTA President are mainly due to the unsanitary state of the school’s washrooms; the dorm mothers have told this publication that students there have also been affected by various illnesses. According to them, thus far for the year, about 50 students were affected by typhoid, diarrhoea and dengue fever.

At the time this newspaper visited the dorms, the compound was covered in thick vegetation, and the Guyana Chronicle was told that the region will be filling the compound to prevent flooding during the rainy season.

Because of the conditions at the dorms, Mr Singh said, parents have communicated to him their intention to take their children out of that facility, but he has urged them not to do so, as the school term is nearing an end. But, he said, this would not continue for long if the situation continues or does not improve.

OTHER PROBLEMS
Aside from these issues, the PTA President said, the school is faced with several other problems which require urgent attention. He pointed out that the school has failed the basic guidelines of what an environment conducive to learning should be.

“There is no staffroom for teachers. Their staffroom is now a classroom. Classrooms are congested, (and) it is difficult for teachers to conduct classes as the noise levels are very high, putting the teachers under undue stress to communicate with their students, and for the students to hear what they are saying. And the classrooms are very hot, making it very difficult for the students to concentrate.”

These issues, Mr. Singh said, will have to be addressed if the school is to return to a state where it is conducive to learning.

The Charity Secondary School was originally two buildings housing the offices of a construction firm. The buildings were renovated and converted into a secondary school in January 1990.

At the time, the school had a student population of just over 100; but, over the years, this number increased rapidly, and in early 2000, the former administration built a dorm in the school’s compound.

But with an ever-growing student population, a new dorm was constructed behind the Charity Primary School and the one in the school’s compound was converted into a classroom.

Next year, the school’s student population is expected to reach 1000, and the PTA President is urging the Government to consider building a new state-of-the-art school with the capacity to accommodate 1500 students on the two-acre state land south of the student dorms.

The buildings and land on which the school currently sits can be used for agriculture science projects and practical work for other technical and vocational disciplines, he opined.