Fiery protest at Penal school

UPDATED:

Angry Penal residents burned debris in the roads yesterday to protest the closure of St Dominic’s RC School. They called on the authorities to build a new school, saying the existing one at Oliverie Drive is plagued with infrastructural problems.

From 5 am yesterday, residents with placards blocked the main access routes to the school, including Lachoos Road, Clarke Road, Oliverie Drive and Penal Rock Road.

For more than a year, students have been attending classes at the St Dominic’s RC Parish Hall and the community centre.

One parent, Tyrone Clarke, said students are cramped and the condition affects them mentally and physically.

“Only a few could attend classes because they are like sardines a tin. They cannot even breathe properly. How could the students study anything in that condition? They cannot function. We are only getting promises and we are saying enough is enough,” Clarke said

The school houses 220-plus students and nearby are four other schools – Holy Faith Convent, Penal Secondary School, Lady Hochoy Home and a pre-school.

Parents said the Education Ministry is aware of the problems, but no one seems to care about the students’ welfare.

Another resident, Agatha Johnson-Beam, complained the school is literally falling apart and despite numerous reports to the authorities, the problems remained unsolved.

Also, since classes take place in the community centre, the facility cannot be used for any social events like weddings.

She added that students risk their lives daily when crossing to and from school, as there are neither traffic wardens nor police.

“These children could get bounced down while crossing the street,” Johnson-Beam said.

Apart from the school woes, residents also called for the David Williams recreation ground at Lachoos Road to be fixed.

Johnson-Beam said: “The ground is in a mess. SSFL (Secondary Schools Football League) banned our ground because they say it is not good, it is not in tip-top shape.”

Contacted for a comment yesterday, an official from the Education Ministry said that in 2016 Education Minister Anthony Garcia visited the school. Due to the financial issues, the construction of a new school is yet to be started. The official added the ministry is prioritising based on what is best for the children and nation.