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Five Rivers school to open on Oct 5

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Staff and students of the Five Rivers Secondary School will officially move into their new premises on Monday.

This after officials of the Education Facilities Company Limited (EFCL) yesterday were ordered to ensure the building was ready for occupation by the 875 students and 53 staff members by October 5.

The directive was issued by Education Minister Anthony Garcia after an hour-long meeting at the school with the principal Nicole Riley; Minister in the Ministry of Education Lovell Francis; MP for Lopinot/Bon Air West and Minister of Social Development and Family Services Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn; and president of the National Parent Teacher Association Zena Ramatali.

Addressing reporters in the school’s auditorium as he emerged from the meeting, Garcia said: “There are quite a few things that need to be done but we have been given the assurance by EFCL that everything will be done to ensure that the school can be opened.”

Describing the meeting as successful Garcia said teachers, parents and residents had voiced concerns about the school’s sewer system which was to be linked with the one that services the nearby community.

Claiming that was the major problem as the sewer system had been operating since the school was first opened in 1972, Garcia, who himself taught at the school for ten years from 1973 to 1983, said the Water and Sewerage System (WASA) had assured them of a plant upgrade.

“Unfortunately, at this point, although WASA was paid the $2 million that was necessary for the upgrade of the plant, nothing has been done so far,” the minister said.

Promising to liaise with his Cabinet colleague with responsibility for WASA, Garcia said: “As a temporary measure, it has been agreed that we are going to use the sewer system that has been in operation since 1972.”

Garcia also assured school officials that hanging electrical wires which had posed a safety hazard to the staff and students would also be dealt with, while the issue of insufficient furniture was deemed “an area of great concern.”

Elaborating about this, Garcia said: “EFCL told us that they are in a bind because their suppliers have not been paid… they are not delivering the furniture to the school.”

The ministry’s permanent secretary Sandra Jones has been tasked with sorting out that problem.

Unable to say exactly how much EFCL was owing their suppliers, Garcia explained: “EFCL is one of the special purposes companies that has been established to look after a specific interest and a specific interest that falls in the lap of EFCL is the maintenance of schools.

“My information tells me that EFCL had the money but I don’t know what has happened. We are hoping that things are done so that all these little problems that should not have been problems in the first place, will be eliminated,” Garcia added.

The minister estimated that there were between 15 and 20 schools that were still unopened although the new school term began on September 8.

NPTA head Zena Ramatali expressed her satisfaction with the meeting as she said they were pleased with the assurance by both the EFCL and the minister that they were tackling problems which were affecting the nation’s children.

The NPTA will meet with Garcia on Friday to discuss issues and recommend solutions to the problems affecting the smooth operations at schools across the country.


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