PM requests report on late painting of Prep School

Prime minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves said he has requested a report on the situation which resulted in the partial closure of the Kingstown Preparatory School on Monday, September 5.

Students from Grades 2-6 were sent home in the morning on the first day of the new school year, and those in Kindergarten left at mid-morning because of a strong odour of paint in their classrooms.

In calling for a report on the matter, Dr Gonsalves said on NBC Radio on Wednesday, September 7 that the entity responsible for painting the school “waited too late to go and do the paining,”

He said the school was already organized and prepared for Monday’s reopening. The paint job, he explained, was completed on Sunday, and the painters simply “left the place in shambles.”

Part of the roof was repaired earlier, and Gonsalves said these classrooms were not cleaned while additional classrooms were put in disarray during the painting.

“When persons get jobs to do these things…good sense will tell you what you have to do, the prime minister stressed. Despite this, the prime minister was appreciative of the work generally, of the Roads Buildings and General Services Authority (BRAGSA), and the Ministry of Education in getting the school buildings ready for school in the aftermath of the volcanic eruptions which resulted in schools being used as evacuation shelters.

Lots of work had to be done on an on-going basis, “and some still needs to be done on weekends- bits and pieces,” he pointed out, adding that the government is on top of this matter.

The problems at the Kingstown Preparatory School were sorted out on Monday and students were able to return to school on Tuesday, April 6.
Apart from the situation at the Kingstown Preparatory school, there were also minor problems at the Emmanuel High School Mesopotamia, the Stubbs Primary School and the Sandy Bay Anglican School.