SOS: St Joseph Secondary in distress

THE EDITOR: For far too long, the 800 plus students and staff of St Joseph Secondary School have been subjected to a plethora of problems, inclusive of a rat infestation, an inadequate supply of electricity to classrooms, dilapidated buildings and poor maintenance of the compound, among others.

The current, disturbing situation has been ongoing since the beginning of the term. Moreover, the problems have been left unresolved by both the past and current regimes.

Walk around and into classrooms and be witness to rusting and broken furniture, holes in the ceiling (both in classrooms and throughout hallways), missing windows and louvres (which causes furniture and classrooms to become wet when it rains), air-conditioned classrooms with doors unable to close properly, mould-like substance growing on walls and under floor tiles, birds nesting inside classrooms, and an evidently inefficient sewer system which emits an extremely unpleasant odour. These are no conditions anyone should endure, especially students.

To put it frankly, the teachers’ decision to down tools is justifiable. Consequently, there is no teaching. There is no learning. So, many students either stay at home or mosey around the compound. There is no learning. As a past student, being a senior prefect involved in the student council, I found it disheartening to know that the institution which moulded me into a responsible young adult is now on the brink of collapse.

A recent visit to the school has compounded my fears and confirmed that it has been abandoned by the Ministry of Education and that it lacks the support of former school principal and now Education Minister Anthony Garcia.

Shockingly, there is a new building standing a stone’s throw from the current school. If opened, it promises to alleviate most, if not all, the problems plaguing the present school. It too may need rehabilitating as governments have allowed it to become overgrown with vegetation and perhaps populated by animals by now. Essentially, it is another project that hardworking taxpayers have been billed for but are yet to reap the benefits of.

Equally important, while the political games play out, in a couple months these already disadvantaged students are going to be required to write NCSE, CSEC and in some cases CVQ exams though not having the sufficient foundation laid to so do. As a result of the situation, they remain left to their own devices and unable to receive proper guidance from trained professionals at their school, unlike other students at other schools.

Is it unreasonable to expect that the Government would do all within its power to enable the environment for these students? Or is it that those in authority need to see a protest on national television before being competent at their jobs?

RYAN NANTON via e-mail