Parents of pupils attending the San Fernando Methodist Primary School are concerned about their children’s safety.
They complained that the children have to remain on the pavement in front the school until temperature checks are taken for them to enter the compound at 8 am or later.
The parents have requested anonymity for fear of victimisation.
The mother of a seven-year-old child complained: “The only time they let them in is if rain is drizzling and yet still the drizzle have to be falling hard enough. From First Year straight up to Standard Five on that pavement. The school is on a steep hill and the bigger boys are pushing and playing. These children could fall down. They could end up down the hill. A car could come around the corner and kill them. It is not right.”
She said some parents cannot wait with their children because they have to go to work.
“Van drivers aren’t waiting because they have other children to pick up. The other schools aren’t doing this,” she claimed.
She recalled that when the issue was raised during a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meeting, in which a social worker from the ministry was present, parents were told that the teachers were not babysitters and that was not part of the security’s job.
The mother, however, said teachers have children attending the school and their children are allowed on the compound with them.
She added: “I am asking for my child, everybody, else child to be safe, and to be on the compound, even if it is at 7.30.”
She said before COVID, the children were allowed on the compound but not into the classrooms until the bell rang.
Other parents shared similar complaints. “This is very frustrating. I don’t see why the children can’t go into the compound, test their temperature and let them wait inside the compound, at least it will be more secure than on the road where anything could happen to them. It’s not enough to say that teachers are not babysitters, what about the children’s safety,” another parent argued.
Another issue, they said, is that there is a lack of toilet paper, soap and other supplies at the school.
In addition, a parent complained the bench is too small to accommodate her child who is barely able to write properly due to the cramped space.
“He is kneeling down to the write on the desk,” she complained. She said the school told her that they made a request to the ministry for furniture.
Minister: Its a matter for the principal
When contacted Education Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said this situation has to be handled by the school principal.
The minister said: “The time students are allowed to enter the school compound on mornings is, and must be managed by Principals at the school level. This would be impacted by the availability of staff and teachers on the compound and the need to assure the safety of students—not simply for COVID protocols, but their general safety. The time staff would be available at schools on mornings would vary from school to school; hence, this is a matter for the school principal,” she said via WhatsApp Messenger.
Parents must work together says PTA
PTA president Darren Medford said parents needed to work together with the principal and teachers to find a solution.
“I understand the plight of the parents but the parents need to understand as well that school and by extension the principal is only responsible for their children only when school is in duration.”
Medford, a father of three, said due to the ministry’s COVID policy, every child’s temperature must be taken before they enter the school and they must also sanitise.
“It is not like before when the children would just drop off from the vehicles and just walk into the school, now it have to have people on the compound to treat with that.”
He added that it was unfair to ask the principal and teachers to come to school “way in advance” to accommodate parents because they also have families and children to take to school.
“The ministry did not hire any body else to do that so the principal could only work with what she has and ask the teachers to accommodate them when they arrive for duty which would be closer to when they have to start work because they have to drop their kids as well,” he said.
While parents also have to work, he added, ”Parents need to take responsibility and try to put things in place.”
Suggesting that parents work with the principal, Medford said: “Sitting down and just quarrelling and pointing fingers is not going to assist. If parents could form a roster and may be two parents come today and two others come tomorrow to assist with taking the names, taking the temperature. We all need to cooperate and make the best out of this bad situation.”
