Let Piccadilly prevail. That was the call issued by both Education Minister Anthony Garcia and the chairman of the National Parent Teacher Association Zena Ramatali during a news conference at the minister’s office in St Clair yesterday.
It was called following yesterday’s heightened protest by parents of pupils attending the Tranquillity Government Primary School against a relocation move.
He said an unnamed female official of the ministry visited the Tranquillity Government Primary School at 6.30 am yesterday and found “the gates were padlocked, an indication that parents were stepping up their protest action.”
He said the police and Fire Services were contacted and one hour later fire officers arrived to cut the locks. The pupils were then able to enter the premises, Garcia added.
Some 41 pupils of the Piccadilly Government Primary School, which was declared unfit for use, have been relocated by the ministry to the Tranquillity Government Primary.
Garcia expressed his “regret” over the protest action taken last Friday and yesterday by the parents of Tranquillity Government Primary, who were demanding that the pupils not be relocated to the school.
He said 39 pupils (Standards Four and Five) of the Piccadilly Government Primary have been attending classes at Tranquility since the start of the new school year in September.
Garcia said since the school was condemned the ministry could not compromise the safety of the students so the remaining 41 pupils from First Year to Standard Three have been relocated.
He said education was a right and when a school is closed the children’s rights were being denied since September.
Garcia said ministry officials have been meeting with parents in an attempt to “smoothen the situation.”
The students had a very good day at school yesterday and their conduct was above board.
He said: “There were no incidents, no complaints of any indiscipline. They conducted themselves as students will.
“The decision to house the students at Tranquility stands until we can find suitable accommodation for the entire school.”
According to Garcia suitable accommodation might mean constructing a new school.
“If the parents continue with their protest, then we might have to step up certain actions,” he added.
He said among the new measures to be implemented at the Tranquility school is that a plainclothes community police officer would be on the school compound during school hours.
Garcia said the ministry had asked that MTS security be increased and the installation of the appropriate rear pedestrian exit on the compound of Tranquillity Government Primary School to facilitate the safe egress of persons.
He said those measures were to be implemented to ensure there were no unsavoury acts.
Ramatali said the behaviour of the parents of the pupils at Tranquillity Government Primary could not be supported. She said: “The behaviour of the parents is not one that we are pleased with.”
She said she was “hoping that they could let good sense prevail and set an example for the both communities. Let us come around the table and dialogue.”
She said the parents “did not allow that process to take place. They just took matters into their own hands.”
She said the NPTA “cannot be comfortable and say we agree with parents locking gate and using obscene language on the school compound.”
Ramatali said the NPTA supported the ministry’s position on the relocation issue.
Asked if the protest may have stemmed from parents objecting to the area in which the Piccadilly pupils were coming from Ramatali said she would think not.