TROUBLE is brewing within the education system at Mabaruma, with approximately 200 parents planning to stage a picketing exercise in protest of the almost immediate shutting down of the North West Government Secondary School for an indefinite period, to facilitate repairs to the building.

Concerned parents on Friday spoke with this newspaper, highlighting their concerns. They said they were earlier advised that extensive renovation would have to be done to the school, necessitating closure of the building and relocation of hundreds of students to other buildings for the period of the repairs. Works include removal of the roof and changing the entire upper flat of the building.
The residents said that last Wednesday they were summoned to a meeting at the school where they were addressed by the headmistress and two welfare officers. Almost 200 parents attended the meeting. Before the conclusion of the meeting there was consensus on systems to be put in place to ensure a smooth and orderly transition, with minimum inconvenience being experienced by the student population.
At that meeting, the parent-teacher body was told that the students of Forms Three and Four would be relocated and accommodated at the Mabaruma Conference hall at Philbert Pierre Avenue, and the Resource Centre, just opposite. This plan was approved by parents at the meeting. Suggestions were invited for the relocation of Forms One, Two and the Transitional Class. It was unanimously agreed that tents would be set up on the Mabaruma Recreational Park, in the same vicinity of the Conference Centre and the Resource Centre, and that some time be allowed to facilitate the new arrangements.
However, parents claimed they were taken by surprise yesterday when they learnt from the Region 1 Department of Education, that a directive was issued by the Ministry of Education in Georgetown, ordering that the children of Forms One, Two and the Transitional Class be accommodated at the Mabaruma Primary School and the St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, and that this be done with almost immediate effect.
Parents are incensed, claiming that this move does not reflect the agreement reached with the 200 parents and headmistress and other staff last Wednesday and will pose problems.
Their first concern and objection is that St. Joseph’s Primary School cannot accommodate its own student population along with those from the North West Secondary School.
Secondly, great inconvenience will be caused to the Catholic Church which is a place of worship and has its ongoing Church programmes.
Thirdly, it will pose a serious challenge for the headmistress to effectively monitor the children in the three lower forms from almost one mile away. In addition, the parent body recognizes that children in the lower forms need even closer supervision than the more mature ones.
Moreover, parents have noted that, even though their children are being asked to vacate the building right now, the contractors have not as yet acquired all the materials needed to carry out the renovation works.
Speaking of materials already in place for the construction works, they said, “What we see there are a few lengths of steel and some cement.  There is as yet, no sand, no stone, no binding wire, no form boards … nothing else,” they told this newspaper.
The parents are not taking the matter lightly and are making it clear that they will not allow their children to be treated shoddily.
“The children of the North West Region are the Region’s most precious resource and we demand that they be treated no less. We are asking that a hold be placed on the removal of the 698 children from the secondary school building until they can be accommodated in a place that is not cramped and does not pose any inconvenience to others. In general, it must be conducive to good learning and must allow for fresh air to pass through freely.”
This newspaper contacted the Department of Education at Mabaruma for a comment, but the Education Officer could not be reached and his staff remained mum on the issue, claiming they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Several attempts were also made to reach key officials, including the Permanent Secretary and Chief Education Officer at the Ministry of Education in Georgetown, but they were not available.
An official at the Chief Planning Department who eventually listened to the concerns raised, offered to bring it to the attention of the Chief Education Officer as soon as he is available. However, in the spirit of regionalism, the official said, matters of that nature and projects at such a scale ought to the dealt with internally, without the intervention of the ministry in Georgetown.   Unless this is observed, it will defeat the whole purpose of regionalism, which in effect speaks to decentralisation of administrative powers, and placing it into the hands of the regional system, the official said.
Against this backdrop, residents are appalled that some officials, whose name has not been communicated to them, can foist his wishes on them in relation to when their children vacate the secondary school and where they will be housed.
Further, they claim the project is expected to be completed within six months; but, given the pace at which the building materials are being sourced, there is a strong likelihood the project will not get off the ground for some time yet, and moreover, will continue over a much longer period.