Wire fence for school

THE Anglican Board, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, will construct a temporary wire fence around the St Michael’s Anglican School in Princes Town, where part of the concrete wall fell and injured five children on Thursday. The eight-foot wall tumbled on to the road around 11.45 am, while pupils were on their lunch break. School manager Archdeacon Edwin Primus, an Anglican Board member, yesterday described the incident as unfortunate. “It is unfortunate that students were hurt when the school wall collapsed, especially when it was carded for re-construction during the July/August vacation.” Primus said that Easter vacation period would not have been enough time to reconstruct the wall.

When Newsday visited the school yesterday, principal Esther Thomas was unavailable to comment on the incident. However, Primus pointed out to Newsday that another part of the school’s wall on the Southern side, had multiple cracks and posed a risk to the school’s pupils. “Before that wall collapses and more children are hurt, we are addressing the matter. The temporary fencing would also be erected along the inner side of the wall,” Primus said. Officials from the Ministry of Education and Primus met with parents of the injured pupils yesterday. Primus said the board referred the issue of compensation to the Ministry of Education. “I don’t know what policies the ministry has regarding compensation.

I believe that it will be left up to the ministry. It is totally out of the Anglican board’s hands,” Primus said. Christine Cooper, a parent of one of the pupils who sustained a sprained ankle, told Newsday yesterday that she would wait to see how the ministry handles the issue of compensation. Kareem Burton, 11, who sustained a damaged ligament in the left ankle, was still experiencing pain yesterday at his Indian Walk home at Lengua Village. Tricia Augustine, 12, suffered a fractured toe. Christoff Harrison, 12, of Basterre, Moruga, suffered a gash to the forehead and broken teeth. Augustine’s grandmother, Genevieve Cowan, 64, said her granddaughter was advised by doctors not to put too much weight on her feet during the next three weeks. Denecia John, 11, and Latisha Crawford, two other injured pupils, cuts sustained to their legs.