Another Arima school fire

A THIRD fire has occurred at the Arima Senior Comprehensive School, despite assurances from Ministry of Education officials that plans had been devised to prevent a repeat of maliciously set fires at the school. Last month, two fires were set in the boys’ toilet, one of which was not reported. Yesterday’s incident occurred at around 12.10 pm in Room 19, the Geography room at Block D or the library block, and was reported to both the Arima police and fire stations by school administrators. The fire is believed to have been maliciously set to geography maps valued more than $2,000 which were stored in the room. The maps have reportedly been at the school since it opened in 1976. Newsday was told that when police and fire officers responded, the fire had already been extinguished by the schools safety officers.

Police officers confirmed that three students were questioned. They said they were informed about ongoing problems between principal Cheryl Ann Wilkinson and teachers, and were even told that it would be no surprise if the fire was set by teachers. Investigations are continuing by both the police and fire officers. The latest incident has again upset staff at the school. Newsday was told that since the May fires no staff meeting or proper assembly have been called. They insist that police and fire officers should be summoned to the school to lecture students on the dangers of maliciously set fires.

After the first fire on May 5, a closed door assembly was held with students. The fires prompted Education Minister Hazel Manning and a team from the ministry to visit the school. On that occasion on May 13, school supervisor III Althea Permell promised that a staff meeting would have been called on May 16, but Newsday was told that the meeting dealt only with the conversion of the school to  a seven-year school. Permell also said then the school’s MTS security and school safety officers had devised a “plan to monitor and ensure it (fires) does not happen again.”

She had promised that “lectures, seminars and workshops will be held with those students not involved to let them know the seriousness of the offences.” Newsday was told none of those things have been done. School officials were also warned during the minister’s visit that it was incorrect procedure not to report the fires to the relevant authorities. They were advised by Manning to get their act together and sit as a team to sort out the issues affecting the school.