No room at Sacred Heart for pigeons

The school, which reopened its doors on Monday, was closed for the past two weeks to allow contractors and consultants to be brought in to fumigate and pigeon-proof the compound.

On March 15, students and their parents staged a protest to highlight their concern over the unsanitary conditions caused by the pigeons.

They called on the Education Ministry and other relevant authorities to intervene and resolve the matter. The parents complained that pigeon faeces and feathers made the school an unsafe environment for their children to attend classes.

Many students were forced to stay away from classes during that time, as many complained of vomiting while others were diagnosed with lung problems.

Gary Joseph, a representative from the Parents’ Support Group, said yesterday he was relieved that remedial work was completed within two weeks, as parents and teachers were concerned about the work being done to facilitate Standard Five students who will sit their Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exams today.

Joseph said he wanted the students to feel comfortable within their own environment for the exams.

Joseph Charles, a parent, explained that areas which were open and encouraged pigeons to comfortably nest, were closed up. Ledges and beams where pigeons roost were redone with cement to be at an angle which would prevent nesting and wired spikes have been placed along the roof and guttering.

Charles said one major concern still lingered — water tanks at the school which have a flat top, is still a prime spot for the pigeons. He added that a meeting will be held with the relevant authorities to assess this particular problem.