Essequibo Islands Secondary to be repaired
The Essequibo Islands Secondary School at Wakenaam which was advised to relocate classes because of the condition of the building and the compound, is to be repaired during the Easter vacation. The decision was taken when some of the parents met officials of the Region Three Administration and a representative of the Social Impact Amelioration Programme (SIMAP) at the school on Friday. SIMAP will provide US$5,000 while Assistant Regional Executive Officer, Albert James, pledged the region's input of 25% totalling $225,000. Repairs will be done to the school's floor and walls and wooden windows are to be installed. Gutters will be placed along the roof to lead rainwater to a receptacle which will be placed on a scaffold. Wakenaam's Neighbourhood Democratic Council Chairman, Zakir Khan, also pledged assistance in the form of labour. SIMAP is providing the money from a fund referred to as the Emergency Response Mechanism Project of which US$5,000 is the maximum amount available and efforts will be made to process the application in the shortest possible time so that repairs could start as early as possible. Since it is not likely that all the work will be completed in the two-week holiday period, opening of the school may be delayed if it is necessary but special attention will be paid to the students who will be writing the CXC and the pre-CXC exams. Chairman of the Parent Teachers Association, Perry Birbal, welcomed the move by the Environmental Health Officer to order the relocation of the classes, which he said was overdue. When the repairs are completed security guards will be employed to protect the property which is consistently vandalised because of its remote location. The school is located at Fredericksburg, three and a half miles from the Wakenaam ferry stelling. James assured the gathering that plans for the relocation of the school would still be ongoing. Others present at the meeting were: SIMAP's representatives, Fenton Haynes and Toolchand; Member of Parliament, Balkarran; and Region Three representative, Manpersaud. (Harry Seymour)
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