The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Martin Town Primary School was dismissed early on Monday when disgruntled teachers staged a sit-in at the school in Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama, over the long delay over repairs following Hurricane Matthew.

Although a $100,000 donation was made to the government over two weeks ago specifically for hurricane repairs at Martin Town Primary, the teachers and administrative staff are upset that work has not yet begun.

The 22 teachers and the administrative staff were supported by their respective unions. They complained that the condition of classrooms is unacceptable and not conducive for learning.

About at 11am, teachers refused to return to their classrooms. Classes were dismissed around 1pm and parents were notified to pick up their children.

The teachers requested an urgent meeting with Ministry of Education School Superintendent Mary Cooper and Minister for Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville concerning the start of school repairs.

“We want to know why repairs haven’t started when funds were donated to government for the school’s repairs,” said one educator.

Quinton Laroda, area vice president of the Bahamas Union of Teachers, and Tammy Ellis-Elliot, area vice president of the Bahamas Managerial Education Union, which represents the school administrators, criticised the government over the delay of repairs.

The union executives reported that some of the classrooms are without ceilings and windows, and have mould.

“It’s been almost seven weeks since the hurricane and no work has been effected yet by central government at the school,” said Mr Laroda.

“The teachers … are tired of waiting and they need some answers from Superintendent Cooper and Minister Darville,” he said. “They have been co-operative in returning back to the classrooms … and some of them are teaching in rooms with no ceilings.”

The BUT executive said teachers have been very co-operative, but the government is not doing its part.

“The teachers and the union have been understanding during the disaster and wanted to work together with government to overcome it. I asked teachers to be cooperative and to see how best we can work, even if condition was not ideal. We have done that and we see that after seven weeks no work has been effective yet by central government,” he explained.

Almost two weeks ago, Godfrey Smith, a top executive of the Hutchison Group of Companies in Freeport, made a $200,000 cheque donation at the Ministry for Grand Bahama to National Insurance and Housing Minister Shane Gibson, who oversees the government’s hurricane relief fund. Mr Smith said that $100,000 was to go towards school repairs at the Martin Town Primary, and the other $100,000 for repairs at the Eight Mile Rock High School.

Mr Laroda commended the private sector partner for its donations to help repair the schools. “I think that’s what made it more unbearable for the teachers because funding was donated specifically for both schools.

“The government is taking too long to repair the schools when they have access to funding from the private sector. Why are you taking so long and why are asking us to continue to make a sacrifice when it seems unnecessary?”

Mr Laroda said teachers will sit in until someone provides them with the answers.

“It is really unfair to ask teachers and students to be in this environment when government could do better. A private corporate citizen stepped up and cared enough about the community and education, and made money available, and still there is a holdup almost seven weeks after the hurricane. There has to be some accounting for why that is the case,” he said.

Mr Laroda said that the school superintendent was informed by the school’s principal about the sit-in at Martin Town Primary, which has an enrolment of 300 children.

The teachers have been enduring same conditions for three weeks to a month.

“The ceilings are hanging and there is mould in the roof. What has angered the teaching staff is that funds were allocated for repairs, but I think red tape associated with such donations should be fast tracked because the fixing school should be a matter of urgency for the government,” said the union official.

The BUT area vice president also stressed that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry for Grand Bahama have a responsibility to provide an explanation not only to teachers, but also to the community about why the repairs are taking so long.

“The entire community needs to understand why after seven weeks since the hurricane happened, that nothing is being done to repair the school. The community needs an answer,” he said.

Mr Laroda said the Eight Mile Rock High School and Bartlett Hill Primary School were also damaged.

He said repairs to the primary school will take longer, noting that teachers and students have been relocated to a temporary site, where there are also issues.

“But the teachers so far are willing to work and trying to be co-operative,” he said.