Dear Editor,

Meten Meer Zorg Primary School, home of 875 children serving the seven communities of Meten Meer Zorg, West Meten Meer Zorg, Kestev, Prem Nagar, Ocean Garden, Railway View and DeKendren has been so miserably administered by the authorities that it now lies wounded, empty and its 880 children are uncared for.

How could this happen? The chronology of events is incredible that each one of us should wonder openly, are we educators really serious about Guyana's most precious resource its children and their education.

Meten Meer Zorg Primary School, was built by self help in 1972, to house 500 children. Once in 1992, it was subject to minor repair and repainting, funded by CIDP/YCI. By 1997, the building had begun to show the need for major works to be done on it as well as the need for a new school building as it was by then accommodating in excess of 300 children more than its capacity.

Six recent letters were sent by the School Headmaster/Mistress to all the relevant Authorities, but to no avail. (details of letters given).

The PTA, in the meanwhile, between 2000 2001, contacted the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Region 3 Administration, PEIP and Simap.

The outcomes were:

a) NDC was approached to help in replacing the shed of a former chicken pen, the same to be used as a temporary reading facility in view of the school's massive overcrowding. The NDC asked the Region to assist. The Region repaired and extended the pen over two phases, total works cost in excess of $1.3 million. The PTA was not communicated with. Incidentally, this $1.3M could have completely rehabilitated the entire school building and averted this present disgrace.

Region 3 Administration was approached more than ten times, the last time being a PTA delegation to the Chairman in July 2001, where he promised repairs assistance to the tune of $500,000, this never materialised. Previously we got close to being assisted when PEIP informed the Region in 2000 it had funds available for Primary schools within the region. They did not grasp the opportunity.

Simap explained its inability to finance extension as it was also winding down, but assisted with a quick response project to replace the School's fence and two water trestles Simap contributing $700,000 PTA $300,000.

Our school reopened in September 2001, still awaiting attention. In October 2001, the main unsheltered stairway collapsed injuring ten children, cuts, bruises and fractures. Finally, the parents could bear the frustration no longer. Press coverage, protest and shut down of the school by parents necessitated the commencement of repairs. Then, the following were "discovered" by the authorities.

The school's stage, used as a classroom, was unsafe, large sections of the school's wooden walls were rotten. A new stairway was needed; the 50' five high wooden water trestle was leaning; the windows and door have decayed and hang dangerously, the roof was leaking around the ridging, etc. Between October and early December 2001, most of these works were completed.

The temporary works remaining then were:

1. Change roof ridging and patch zinc holes

2. Plumbing to water storage, toilets and sinks

3. Electrical repairs

4. Three days minor carpentry works on corridor, stage, walls, etc.

The estimated cost of these works was $450,000.

We had hoped, as promised by the Regional Education Officer on 6/1/1/, to have all these fixed within the 2nd and 3rd weeks of January last, after which, the school would operate on a shift system pending the complete rehabilitation of existing building and construction of annexe between July and October 2002.

Simple and Easy? Incredibly No!

The regional officials have decided by themselves, to keep the school closed until the major rehabilitation is completed. Where is the consideration of the children in this weird decision knowing that the system can cause delays of months at a time.

In the meantime, whilst decisions are imposed on us, our children continue to lose one and one half hours classroom time each day since mid October, 2001; the other school's 600+ children are also losing the same time as they are accommodating some of our school's children; over 300+ children in the SSEE and pre SSEE classes are losing valuable school hours plus supplementary lessons; 1400+ children from the two schools are sorely confused; parents are frustrated; children lose their valuable recreation time; class work is compressed due to short time; reading and interaction is limited; 200+ children, aged 5 to 7 years old, have a daily grind of arranging and rearranging classroom furniture to facilitate the morning nursery school and afternoon primary school.

Do the authorities really care? Is such care demonstrated to these affected children? Does it matter to them that damage done to our young ones minds may be irreversible. Where has all this gone wrong? The following may be answers:

1. Our school for years was never considered by the education department and as such was literally starved of funds. Even the school's $100,000 dormant bank account remains inaccessible due to the REDO refusal.

2. The table below reflects resources allocation for the years 1997 to 2001 under the current capital expenditure for the education department Region 3:

Year....................Budgeted Amount .......Actual Spending ........Amt. Unspent

Capital Expenditure ......$M ............................$M .........................$M

Buildings

1997 .............................63 ..............................24 ..........................12

1998 ............................33.5 ...........................23.5 .......................10.3

1999 .............................30 .............................22 ............................8

2000 .............................28 .............................25 ............................3

2001 .............................20

Current Expenditure

Repairs and Maintenance of Building

1997

1998

1999 .............................23 ..............................7.5 ........................15.5

2000 .............................11 ..............................11 .............................0

Over the five years at least $48M were returned by the Regional authorities, being the amount unspent on schools within the region.

Obviously, the problem was not money, but inefficiency, caused wholly by a meteoric rise of an ordinary teacher to regional education officer in 1993, to date, a decision that have done untold harm to the education system and the delivery of quality education in Region 3 for the past nine years.

3. Our school was disconnected several times for non payment of electricity bills. GPL explained the sum of $127,000 is currently owing. So we are out of electricity once more.

4. The school's supplies of books and teaching materials are always less than 25% of its annual requirements.

In October, 2001, we the PTA executives wrote the President and copied an eleven page document to the HPS Minister and PS Ministry of Education, Regional chairman, Executive Officer and Education Officer outlining the problems and the way forward. Tangible results are yet to be seen.

The solution

Proceed with abandoned plan dated 27/1/2 for carrying out within 5 days all remaining temporary works in preparation of the shift system.

Short term (July September)

Rehabilitate existing building and construct annex school to house the overcrowded 300 children for September, 2002 reopening of school to normalcy.

Let us remember the daily suffering our children have endured for the past thirteen weeks. There is only so much we the parents can endure. We end with a sincere plea to all the authorities: not performing in the education sector does not only affect the lives of a few thousands and thousands of our children will be scarred for life. Can we not put the best Guyana has to offer to administer and mould this fragile and most precious resource of ours the children. The funds and programmes were and will continue to be there PEIP, SSRP, GEAP, BEAM but if we do not have the competence to manage, the will, at least in this one instance, for the sake of our collective survival, to all work as Guyanese for the elimination of illiteracy and incompetence then, we would have failed ourselves.

We offer a silent prayer in hope.