Some Sacred Heart pupils for St Mary's building
-younger ones for two Thomas Lands locations
Stabroek News
January 1, 2005

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Children of the burnt-out Sacred Heart Primary will be accommodated at three locations, with the majority at the St Mary's High School Annexe on Camp Street and Brickdam.

This was among the announcements made at a meeting between the school administration, parents and officials of the Ministry of Education including the Chief Education Officer, Ed Caesar at St Stanislaus College, Brickdam yesterday.

Levels Four, Five and Six (Primary Two, Three and Four) are to be accommodated at the St Mary's Annexe. It is also proposed that Level Three (Primary One) be housed at the Guyana Public Service Union Sports Complex on Thomas Road, Thomas Lands. Levels One and Two (Prep A and B) are to be housed at the National Sports Commission Centre, Thomas Lands.

Classes for the Level Six pupils, who are preparing for the Secondary School Entrance examinations will start on Monday, January 10, a week after school reopens for the new term. It was emphasised that classes would not be held on a shift system basis for either of the schools.

The date for the reopening will be announced through the media, but efforts are being made to ensure that all children return to school by January 10, or by the start of the following week.

The relocation of the school and late reopening is as a result of the Christmas Day Fire on Main Street. The fire gutted the buildings, which housed the school among others, including the historic Sacred Heart Church.

Meanwhile, furniture including desks and benches and blackboards are urgently needed to accommodate children of the Sacred Heart Primary returning to school for the Easter term.

Caesar told the hundreds of parents and teachers, who turned up for the meeting that the decision to house the children at St Mary's was taken at a meeting between representatives of St Mary's Parent Teachers' Association and ministry officials.

The buildings housing St Mary's and its facilities were recently renovated. At present the building accommodates 172 students, but it has the capacity to hold several hundred. Lack of furniture is a grave problem.

And contrary to a report by a parent of St Mary's that parents were against accommodating the Sacred Heart staff and students, Caesar said the St Mary's parents offered to share accommodation, but were against their children being moved to another building.

This was confirmed by a representative of St Mary's PTA, Clairmonte McKoy who told Stabroek News they were satisfied with the current arrangements. All the children from both classes would attend classes at regular hours with no shift system in place, he said.

Knowing the plight of the Sacred Heart Primary, he said, the majority of the St Mary's parents were willing to assist. He spoke with Stabroek News, he said, because he did not want to give the impression to those at Sacred Heart that St Mary's was not willing to assist.

However, the ministry's initial proposal was to move the St Mary's staff and students to the Diocesan Youth Centre in Subryanville, while the Sacred Heart Primary was moved to the St Mary's compound. A total of 1,422 children and 45 teaching staff as well as ancillary staff are to be accommodated.

At the meeting there were several suggestions from the floor and parents asked about the rebuilding of the school, a question, which was referred to the political directorate of the ministry.

To keep the meeting on track, President of the Sacred Heart PTA, Roger Rogers cautioned parents not to squabble over whether the rebuilding of the school would be a political football. He said the focus at present should be placing the children back in school and having them adequately accommodated under the current circumstances.

Headmistress Yonette Johnson thanked the staff for the support they have given since the fire on Christmas Day and noted that her colleagues from other schools and the National Centre for Educational Resource Development have offered to print and to replace curriculum guides and some other teaching and learning aids that were burnt.

She is also appealing for assistance in cash and in kind to help in the rebuilding of the schools capacity. Her telephone number is listed in her name. Rogers could also be contacted and other members of the executive of the PTA. Rogers home number is also listed, he said. The school's account at Scotia Bank to which monetary donations could be made is #226786. (Miranda La Rose)