Gareth Davis, Gleaner Writer
PORT ANTONIO, Portland:
THE SCHOOL board at Fairfield All-Age was on Wednesday forced to close the institution indefinitely due to the deplorable state of the roads in the Bangaridge community of Portland.
The decision came after all efforts were exhausted by the school board, Councillor Doreen Forbes, and other residents, who have made frequent requests to the National Works Agency (NWA) for assistance.
A member of the school board, Woodburn Peat, told The Gleaner yesterday that no other option was available at this time. He said that many students and teachers are unable to reach the institution because various sections of the roadway, within a five-mile radius, are not only impassable, but also dangerous.
DRIVE AT OWN RISK
"We were told by authorities, earlier, that the state of the roadway posed a high risk to us," said Mr. Peat. "They also indicated that any person or persons driving a motor car who try to access these roads, do so at their own risk."
Councillor Forbes, who made a passionate appeal to the Portland Parish Council, said that students should never be made to suffer as a result of tardiness on the part of the NWA.
"It is a clear indication that the local NWA has no regard for citizens in western Portland," she said. "Am I to think that residents have to block roads, burn tyres or even demonstrate extensively, before their plights are addressed?"
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the NWA said that the resources are not available to carry out repairs to the Bangaridge roads, at this time, and that the NWA regrets the inconvenience caused to the residents and the school population.
More than 300 students are being forced to remain home until the situation is improved.
