No major sign of failure at Canouan Government School – BRAGSA engineers

A team comprising two engineers from the Roads, Buildings and General Services Authority (BRAGSA) has determined that there are no major signs of failure at the Canouan Government School that would indicate that the school is in immediate threat of collapse. The engineers have, however, advised that use of the computer room be discontinued until further advised.{{more}}

According to a report from the CEO of BRAGSA, released to the media by the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, a senior engineer and an engineer from BRAGSA’s buildings department performed the structural assessment on the school, at the request of the CEO of BRAGSA and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education.

The visit by the team to the school took place on May 6.

The release said the assessment’s primary goals were to ascertain if the school was “in risk of imminent collapse and if the grade 5/6 area could be utilized as classrooms by students and teachers.”

According to the report, “there are no major signs of failure which states that the school is in immediate threat of collapse. The computer room has some structural cracks and other cracking and as a result, it has been suggested to the principal that this room be put out of use until further advised.”

The engineers also determined that there is no major risk to students and personnel carrying out their class activities in the grade five or six areas.

Over the last few weeks, parents and teachers of the school have raised concern about structural problems at the Grenadine island’s only primary school, after cracks in the school building widened, causing some teachers to move their classes outdoors.

President of the Canouan Island Development Council (CIDC) Terry Bynoe, who is also a parent of a child at the school, said that in his opinion, the structural problems at the almost 50-year-old school are cause for concern. He noted that cracks had been repaired before, but in his opinion, these new problems appeared to need serious work.

“It’s a cause for concern; maybe the building is not falling down because something would have to happen for it to just fall down, but certainly it’s falling apart…there is need for some urgent attention and repairs.”

According to the release from the Ministry of Education, the team that visited on May 6 was the second one to travel to this school. The first team comprised plumbing and electrical personnel, who performed some routine maintenance and assessments for the 2016 School Summer Repair Programme. The other visit was made by the Buildings Maintenance officer from Union Island, who was to perform an initial assessment of the structural issues previously reported.

BRAGSA, in its report, said routine checks and further investigations will be carried out to ensure no further developments.

The release said cost estimates of proposed remedial repairs are scheduled to begin shortly in preparation for inclusion in the School Summer Repair Programme 2016. Actual repairs will therefore be carried out after school closes for summer vacation.