Emergency repairs for St Winefride’s
Stabroek News
September 5, 2002
Help is on the way for the teachers and pupils of St Winefride’s Secondary School following the award of a $5.6M contract for emergency repairs to the Newtown, Kitty building.
This comes a day after teachers and students left their classrooms to protest the dilapidated state of the school which they deemed hazardous. There is only one solid stairway out of the five required by the building’s design.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Hydar Ally told Stabroek News yesterday that the Central Tender Board had awarded the contract and he expected work to get underway almost immediately. He said repairs would be done on the school’s fence, roof, windows and floors and should be completed in three weeks.
Ally said accommodation would have to be found for the 560 students and 30 staff members of the school and they may have to operate on a shift system.
Both Ally and Education Minister, Dr Henry Jeffrey said the ministry had to wait on the Central Tender Board to award the contract after submitting the tender documents some months ago.
Pupils told Stabroek News on Tuesday that a number of the school’s windows were broken or missing; the roof leaked and many of the school’s toilets are not working. Most of the fence running parallel to Garnett Street is missing allowing for anyone to access the schoolyard by merely jumping over the drain at the side of the road. Meanwhile teachers complained about sub-standard work done on the school building over the past year including repairs to windows and a stairway which has lost most of its steps since.