Grade five students at Belmont Park Primary School in Portmore, St. Catherine, sit three-to-a-bench on furniture made to seat two children at the opening of the new school year yesterday.
-Andrew Smith photo
Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
A PAUCITY of furniture and late registration were some of the problems that marked the first day of the September school term in Portmore, St. Catherine yesterday.
Among the schools faced with a shortage of furniture was Bridgeport Primary School. Pearl Morgan, principal, told The Gleaner, "We are organised but we have a terrible furniture shortage. We were promised furniture by the regional office, but we have not seen them."
Ms. Morgan pointed out that although they had done extensive repairs to furniture, the school was still short. "We just want to make a passionate plea for furniture," she added.
At Belmont Park Primary in Greater Portmore, 80 students were affected by the furniture shortage. As a result, three students had to share a bench which is built to accommodate two students.
"I don't have enough seats because we
didn't get enough. We are under-furnished. Each year we grow. We made a request and it was not honoured," reported Edna Hibbert, school principal. She said that the school had done its own repairs but these were said to be inadequate.
At Waterford High School, the furniture shortage was more severe, with about 200 students affected, according to principal, Cecile Abrahams. "We are 200 short. We have intention to purchase on credit," she told The Gleaner, while explaining that the school will have to source the money from the school fees that were collected.
Asked if the insufficiency of furniture was due to overcrowding at the schools, many of the principals replied that this was not the case, as many were within their required school population.
LATE REGISTRATION
The majority of the schools in the new municipality were also plagued by late registration, as demonstrated by several parents seen in long lines trying at the last minute to get their children into school.
Michael Brydson, vice-principal of Cumberland High School, said that the situation would have been worse if it were not for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture's sensitisation programme stressing early registration.
Meanwhile, the Jamaica Constabulary Force community relations programme to curb truancy and violence in schools was in full gear at one of Portmore's high-risk schools, Bridgeport High.
One of the school resource officers was very early on the job. Dressed in plain clothes, he told The Gleaner that he would be working with the guidance counsellor at the school.
"I will be helping to sort out the problem students and to maintain discipline," he said. Explaining the plain-clothes appearance, he said, "It is not a situation where we will be arresting anyone. We will be working with them."
The Gleaner understands that three other school resource officers will be placed at Cumberland, Ascot and Greater Portmore High Schools.
A downpour in the early morning had little effect on attendance as many children and parents could be seen armed with umbrellas and raincoats as they made their way to school.
