Sangre Chiquito Presbyterian parents demand better accommodation

The action follows the school’s sudden closure at the beginning of the Christmas vacation, last December, when the ministry and the Presbyterian Board deemed the structure unfit for occupancy.

The school, which was built in 1891, underwent some refurbishment work to its external structure, last August, but the parents claimed the exercise was unsatisfactory.

The irate parents, who were accompanied by some students, said the ministry and the board have since made arrangements with the management of the Grovesnor Presbyterian School, Coalmine Road, Sangre Grande, to accomodate a segment of the school’s student population while some pupils were to be housed at a church alongside the Sangre Chiquito Presbyterian School.

The parents said the remainder of the students are forced to stay at home.

Newsday understands a maxi taxi was to be sent to the school to transport the affected students to the Grovesnor Presbyterian School but this never materialised President of the school’s Parent- Teacher Association (PTA) Camille Joseph yesterday claimed the ministry had never informed the parents of its decision to close the school in December, even though they were told last August, that the school was deemed unfit for occupancy.

“They never gave us any indication that the school was closing,” she complained.

Joseph said at the PTA’s last meeting with the ministry and the Presbyterian board, they were told students from Standards One to Four will be accomodated at the Grovesnor Presbyterian School while the Standard Five students will be housed at the Presbyterian Church in Sangre Chiquito.

“The church has one toilet and in the same condemned building, the children have to come down to go and use the toilet facilities,” she said.

“But the Second Year and First Year students will not be placed and we have no idea when they would be placed.” Joseph also claimed that the Sangre Chiquito Presbyterian School’s students would not be allowed to interact with students from Grovesnor Presbyterian School.

“We have learnt that they must not speak to them and have nothing to do with Grovesnor children at all, under no circumstances,” she said, adding that parents also were not allowed on the Grovesnor Presbyterian School’s compound to view the accomodation for their children.

In addition, Joseph claimed that break periods for the Sangre Chiquito school students at the Groversnor school would be reduced considerably.

“Lunch will cut to half an hour, recess and break times is cut to five minutes. But nothing has been cut from Grovesnor. They have their full time so that nothing will be disturbed and reorganised for Groversnor,” she claimed.

“We are saying, ‘Where are our children going, in prison?’ A child has a right to work in a comfortable environment. A child has a right to be happy to learn so that they can prosper and do great things in school.” Joseph said the parents want all of the students to be accomodated in the same location.

“We are not going with some of the children in one place and some not getting a place to go,” she said.

“We want all to be placed together, all must be comfortable and happy.” Contacted yesterday, a ministry official confirmed that preparations were made to accomodate the students from Standards One to Four at Grovesnor Presbyterian School while the Standard Five pupils were to be housed at the Sangre Chiquito Presbyterian Church.

“The furniture and materials were transferred to Groversnor Presbyrterian over the weekend,” the official said.