By DARCEL CHOY Thursday, October 18 2012

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Malick Secondary School boys, Jehu Frederick, right, and Daniel Locario, on their way home after attending their first day of school a...

Students in Forms One, Four and Five of the Malick Secondary School had class for the first time for the new term yesterday at their temporary location — the Aranjuez North Secondary, in Aranjuez.

The students are temporarily located at Aranjuez as repairs are being undertaken at their school in Morvant.

Repairs became necessary after a fire broke out in August because of faulty electrical wiring, and made it difficult for school to be reopened for the new term.

After more than a month without school, concerned parents took to the streets and protested outside the Education Ministry in St Clair, demanding that Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh address their problems.

The ministry assured the parents repairs will begin, and in the meantime, students will be located at Aranjuez North. However when students arrived at the school last week Monday, they met by locked gates.

After that incident, Gopeesingh promised the students they will get their school back by next week, and told them to return to Aranjuez North yesterday.

While Forms One, Four and Five attend school, students of Forms Two and Three will remain at home, until repairs are complete.

Buses have been arranged to shuttle the students from two areas — from Solo Harmonites panyard, Morvant, and from the Croisee, San Juan.

When Newsday visited the school, students were seen smiling, some with a bounce in their step as they filed into the school. Parents said they were really happy something was worked out because their children were losing valuable teaching time.

“These children have been out of school for too long, so I hope they can start to catch up with everything before the term ends,” one parent said.

Newsday spoke with two Form 5 students at the bus stop at Morvant junction where they expressed that the transition was smooth. “The classes and environment at Aranjuez are comfortable. We are glad that we have consistent classes now,” one student said. When asked how they were coping with preparation for CXC with the lack of classes, they said their teachers were giving them extra lessons, to make up for lost time.

President of the Parent-Teachers Association, Onika Buckmire, said she was thankful that students were able to have a full day of school. However, she described it as unfortunate that the situation had reached to such a point.

“If something was done before, students would not have missed all this school, but its finally getting addressed, and we will have to work with it,” she said.

She admitted that work at the school in Morvant was progressing nicely, and she was optimistic work will be completed by next week.