Saturday, October 13 2012

Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh yesterday promised the parents of students attending Malick Secondary in Morvant they will have their school back in two weeks’ time.

Malick students have not had school for the new term after a fire broke out in August because of faulty electrical wiring and repairs were not done in time for school to reopen.

Last Monday students and their parents held a protest outside the Malick school and then at the Ministry of Education’s office in St Clair as they demanded repairs be done and the school be opened.

After, the ministry assured the parents that repairs will be done and in the meantime students will be temporarily located at the building that formerly housed Aranjuez North Secondary School.

However, when students arrived at the school on Monday they were met by locked gates.

President of the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) Onika Buckmire said it was found that the school would not have been suitable for the entire Malick school population.

However, following consultations with the school’s administration and members of the PTA yesterday, it was agreed that students of Forms 1, 4 and 5 will start classes next Wednesday at Aranjuez North.

The PTA also agreed that students of Forms 2 and 3 will remain home until repairs at Malick Secondary are completed within an estimated two weeks.

The minister and senior officials of the ministry visited the school yesterday to get a firsthand look at remedial work being undertaken at the school.

“We sorted out most of the problems. There are a number of blocks that needed work to the roofs and ceilings and we hope to continue everything within a two- week period so by the end of the following week we would have completed all the work,” he said.

He also assured that the nearby Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in Morvant will be opened at the beginning of November.

He said it remained closed because there was no Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) connection but assured that it will be resolved soon.