Fix problems at Ruby LaBega
by Aug 31, WITU tells Govt
RETREAT ESTATE--Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) has condemned the conditions under which its members at Ruby LaBega Primary are being forced to work and have asked the Executive Council to remedy the situation at the school by Friday, August 31.
WITU President Claire Elshot sent a letter to this effect to the Executive Council on Monday evening after meeting with teachers at the school earlier in the day. The letter was also sent to the Director of Public Education Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet.
Elshot said teachers at the school have been “silently” lobbying for many months to have their concerns addressed but to no avail.
She said the list of concerns at the school is much longer than what was published in an article which appeared in Monday’s issue of The Daily Herald. Many of the concerns, she said, are occupational health and safety issues which should be treated as a matter of urgency.
Head of New Projects and Planning Kurt Ruan had told this newspaper on Sunday that Ruby LaBega Primary was among the schools scheduled to be repaired in phase two of the school repair project being executed by the Island Government to the tune of NAf. 3 million. Ruan had said phase one was being carried out among schools with critical problems and that phase two was expected to start “soon” once funding is approved.
However, the union contends that the problems at the school are urgent and should be treated accordingly.
During the meeting with her members on Monday, Elshot said teachers complained that some of the classrooms were completely without lights, while in others only sections are usually illuminated but because defective fluorescent bulbs have not been replaced.
The chalkboards that are hanging from hinges in some of the classrooms can hurt teachers and/or students if they were to suddenly detach from the wall.
“There is no running water in some of the classes, some bathrooms are not functioning because of plumbing problems and there are problems with the locks on the doors of some of the classrooms so that whenever there is a strong wind, the doors slam shut and the teachers are unable to get them open,” Elshot said.
She added that the fans in some of the classrooms are not functioning and in some cases the windows cannot be opened, thereby resulting in teachers having to teach students in hot classrooms without proper ventilation. She said too that the photocopying machine at the school has been irreparable for a while and it is impractical to ask the school administration to go to another school to make copies of important reading material for the children.
She also spoke about a dangerous situation in the vicinity of the school’s cistern, which is located under the school’s storeroom. She said the termite-infested flooring above the cistern is rotten and teachers are afraid that it may collapse and someone may fall into the cistern.
“And we all know what will happen then. We should not wait for something bad to happen before we act. These are issues that should be addressed. They don’t need a bag of money to do minor repairs and address these issues. These issues might look minor, but they are important for proper functioning of the school,” Elshot said.
Asked what the union is prepared to do if government fails to carry out the repairs before the August 31 deadline, Elshot said the union will meet with its members and determine the next course of action.
