The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG


Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

TWO Eleuthera schools have repeatedly dismissed students early after unstable electricity left classrooms hot and dark, with Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson warning that persistent power problems are now disrupting teaching and learning on the island.


Emma Cooper Primary School and Preston Albury High School have both been affected, with parents reporting several days of early dismissals since the start of the new school year.


“The classrooms are hot and dark, so it is very difficult to function,” Ms Wilson said. “Therefore, schools have been dismissed early for a number of days.”


She called the situation unacceptable and urged whichever entity is responsible — Bahamas Power and Light or Bahamas Grid Company — to resolve the problem immediately.


Ms Wilson pointed to a notice advising parents that Emma Cooper Primary School would dismiss early on Monday.


The disruption has compounded wider concerns about the condition of the schools’ electrical systems and the timing of repair work.


Jamie Williams, the parent of a Grade Five student at Emma Cooper Primary and a retired teacher who spent more than 12 years at Preston H Albury High School, said the schools have ageing electrical systems that were not designed to handle modern appliances and technology.


“You have these contractors that get these contracts,” Ms Williams said. “They don't assess the situation. Ministry of Works don't assess the situation properly. Now you wait until the beginning of school to come and you know start working.”


She also raised concerns about construction being carried out while students and teachers are on campus, including workers on roofs and drilling during school hours.


Ms Williams said electricity problems have become especially severe, with power cutting off repeatedly and returning inconsistently.


“We just got a notice that the power will be off at six am in the morning until 11 am,” she said. “This whole week power has been going off every single day.”


She said some areas appeared to be experiencing load sharing and blamed unstable electricity for damage to appliances and business equipment.


“It’s not normal power outages,” Ms Williams said. 

“Sometimes when the power cuts back on, it doesn’t come back at full boost. It comes back in these small segments, and then it goes real full into power gear.”


She said the repeated fluctuations had damaged equipment at her printing business, including two presses, a computer and a printer, as well as her refrigerator.


Ms Williams said early dismissals at one school can also disrupt students at the other because children from different settlements rely on the same buses.


“You have kids that are bused from various settlements,” she said. 

“If the primary school is off, the high school children have to leave school in order to catch the bus.”

She questioned why high school students should also be sent home if only the primary school is affected.


Rupert Williamson, whose second-grade child is in the first year at Emma Cooper Primary School, said the situation has been frustrating and that, as he understands it, unfinished electrical work is contributing to the disruption.


“School let out all this week,” Mr Williamson said.
“We’re just going into like the second week, third week,” he said, “and they say hopefully by Monday it could be sort out so we’ll have to see.”


Mr Williamson said the work should have been completed during the summer.


The problems have also drawn criticism from the Free National Movement.
FNM deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright said in a press statement that the disruption at Preston H Albury High School reflects a wider problem with school repairs and maintenance across the country.
He said the problems could no longer be treated as isolated inconveniences because they were disrupting education and, in some cases, preventing schools from operating normally.
“It is unacceptable for students and teachers to be displaced,” Mr Cartwright said, “classes disrupted, schools closed or learning environments compromised because basic repairs and maintenance were not completed on time.”
The Tribune sought comment from education officials but was unsuccessful up to press time.