It is unlikely that the 1,422 students of the burnt-out Sacred Heart Primary School will begin classes when the Easter term starts next Monday.
Education Minister Dr Henry Jeffrey said yesterday that meetings are being held with various key personnel in the ministry as well as with proprietors to find suitable accommodation for the children, but it could take about two to three weeks.
The Ministry of Education, the Sacred Heart Primary School administrative staff, and the school's Parent Teachers Association are looking for a sound building that could accommodate all the pupils of the school. Headmistress Yonette Johnson said the decision to look for such a building that could be rented "at a price that was right" was taken when they met at the Ministry of Education yesterday.
She said several buildings in the city had been identified but negotiations with the owners would have to be conducted and finalised. Stabroek News understands that one building in the downtown Georgetown area, which could house all the 1,422 children on roll, is being considered.
Among the ministry officials at yesterday morning's meeting were Jeffrey and Chief Education Officer, Ed Caesar.
Johnson said if all the children could not be housed in a single building, priority would be given to the Grade Six (Primary Four) children who are preparing for the Secondary Schools' Entrance Examinations (SSEE), as well as those in Grade 4 (Primary Two) and Grade 2 (Prep B) who are preparing for their assessments.
She also made an appeal for donations of furniture including single desks and benches or combination desks and benches, plywood for chalkboards, chalkboard paint, chalk, dusters, bells, cardboard, markers, electrical fans and general learning and teaching aids. The school lost everything in the fire that started in the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on Christmas Day.
She said there would be a meeting of the staff and parents of children attending the school on Friday at a time to be announced through the media. Most likely that venue would be the St Stanislaus College on Brickdam.
She said the school's administration was working "hard and overtime" to ensure that the children are back at school within the shortest period possible.
Plans are in train to open an account at a city bank to allow persons, including old students, past teachers and friends to contribute to the reopening and rebuilding of the school. This would be announced at Friday's meeting.
Questioned about the rebuilding of the school, Jeffrey said he was not sure a school was going to be rebuilt on Main Street as many of the students do not live in the neighbourhood.
He said, too, that there were concerns from financial agencies about the number of schools being built in various areas for students who then attend schools in the city.
Sacred Heart catered for Kingston/North Cummings-burg and other nearby areas including Tiger Bay, but some residents in these areas told Stabroek News that even though they lived within the catchment area it was difficult to get their children into the school as priority would be given through the ministry to others from outside the area.
Asked about permission for the rebuilding of the school in the Sacred Heart Compound, Roman Catholic Bishop Francis Alleyne told Stabroek News that he sees no hindrance to the reconstruction but the Ministry of Education would have to take that decision in consultation with the Roman Catholic Diocese in Guyana.
Teacher and past student of the school, Clarence Boyer who has spent most of his student and working life at the school is one of those persons who would like to see the Sacred Heart Primary School rebuilt.
While all the school records were lost, Johnson said that while going through the debris yesterday, he and other staff found in good condition a gold bracelet the school had bought for one of its ancillary staff who is due to retire early in the new year. It was bought and put up for presentation when school reopened. All the petty cash in the iron safe was reduced to a pile of ash. (Miranda La Rose)