As some children fall ill…
THE Ministry of Education has provided assistance to the pupils and teachers of Grove Nursery School, on the East Bank of Demerara,
who have been affected by faulty construction work on sections of the floor.
It was in response to complaints, by parents whose children were being made sick by dust and sand emanating from the poorly done
concrete flooring of the building. School Head, Ms. Glendolyn Henry, after a meeting between the  parents and officials of the Education Ministry on Wednesday,
said a part of  the floor was covered as a temporary solution to the problem.
“After the parents went to the Ministry, along with the Regional Education Officer and explained the situation, we received
vinolay, which was placed over the crumbling floor with the assistance of  many parents,” she reported.
Henry explained that the problem arose soon after school reopened following the Christmas holidays.
“During  the holidays, repairs were done to the interior of the building  but, when the children came back and started walking
on the floor, dust began to circulate and the floor started to crumble,” she explained.
Henry said several pupils and teachers complained of feeling ill and there were increasing reports of colds and rashes among the
school populace, which was an indication that something was not quite right.
She expressed concern over the exaggerated reports in certain sections of the media, which stated that most of the children
attending the school fell ill as a result of the problem.
“We have 187 on roll and, of that number, only about 10 actually became ill because of the dust and sand, not 200 as reported
and some of the teachers were also affected,” Henry stated.
She said the contractor who did the initial repairs has agreed to return and resurface the floor.
“We have received assistance from the Ministry of Education and we are  happy about that and the contractor has agreed to return
and fix the problem. So we have the situation under control for now,” Henry maintained.