Students urged to take care of schools

Whilst announcing the opening schedule of the newly-built schools in Lower Edinboro and Fair Hall, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Laura Browne, appealed to students to refrain from damaging and vandalising school property.{{more}} Browne also made an appeal for parents and teachers to instil in the children respect for school property and facilities, as they are put in place for their benefit.

At a press conference on Monday, 25th August, Browne related that although the new building at Edinboro, which will house the Dr. J.P Eustace Memorial Secondary School, is “…effectively complete”, there are some finishing touches to be done. Therefore, students will return to the old compound on September 1st and attend classes there until the new building is completely prepared.

It was also announced that students due to attend the new primary school, located at Fair Hall, will not report to the school on September 1st, 2008. On that date, teachers only will be expected at school, and will participate in preparations for the new students. The students will be notified of their starting date – expected to be approximately two weeks later.

According to Browne, the expansion of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School has not been completed; therefore, some students will be temporarily housed in a building adjacent to the school compound.

Browne further stressed that a lot of money is spent repairing schools that suffer from vandalism inflicted by its own students. She reminded all concerned that the money spent on this could be more meaningfully used. Browne spoke of incidences where schools had reported that electrical sockets had been kicked in. Not only is vandalism expensive to repair, it may also endanger the safety of students and teachers. “We cannot afford to have students vandalise furniture…” she pressed.

In her remarks, Minister of Education Girlyn Miguel repeated Browne’s appeal for students to treat their schools with better care and regard. She related that whilst it is the Ministry of Education’s duty to provide for the nation’s children, they cannot do it alone. “Education is no easy task… no child must be left behind,” she reiterated. She also announced that all students entering Form 1 this year will receive a calculator as promised by the Prime Minister in 2007.