RADHICA SOOKRAJ
Undeterred by Sunday’s fire, Standard Five pupils of the Fanny Village Government Primary School, Point Fortin, attended classes at the private home of a former teacher yesterday.
Karen Lee Fai, who retired from the school several years ago, accommodated the 47 SEA pupils under her home, while a ministerial team toured the fire-ravaged school around midday.
Pupil Coleen Smith said since the fire everyone was sad.
“We lost all our school books and our projects. It really depressing to come here and see the condition of the classes,” Smith said.
Jaydon Bailey, who is hoping to pass for Presentation College, said he hoped that the Education Ministry would not send them out of the district.
“We already accustomed to here. It will be strange for us to write the exam in an unfamiliar environment,” he said.
Sherron Joseph said they were uncertain since the fire and now were fearful their SEA performance would be hampered by the trauma of the fire.
However, the pupils were consoled by acting Education Minister Fazal Karim, who promised that when school reopens on Monday all 305 students and 12 teachers will be accommodated at the newly-built Fanny Village Community Centre.
Karim and his team, including Community Development Minister Winston Gypsy Peters, Local Government Minister Marlene Coudray and Point Fortin MP Paula Gopee-Scoon, toured the school yesterday.
Almost everything was burnt except for a framed portrait of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar which hung on the wall of the principal’s office.
After an hour-long meeting with principal Debra Morrell-Charles and PTA president Byron Cumberbatch, the parents were told that nine classrooms would be accommodated at the community centre.
Karim said: “We have also agreed to establish some temporary air-conditioned facilities to hold classes as well as temporary washroom facilities.”
He said the Educational Facilities Company Ltd would immediately begin partition works and adjustments to the centre.
“The contractor has agreed to work night and day to make sure that the facility is ready for Monday,” Karim said.
Once the fire report is complete, Karim said a decision would be taken by Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh about whether the old school building would be demolished.
Both Gopee-Scoon and Morrell-Charles said they were pleased with the arrangements. Gopee-Scoon said she also hoped the Government would make arrangements to build a new school for the pupils on the existing site. Saying the fire was a blessing in disguise, she said parents have been waiting on a new school since 2008.
New school structure flawed
The contract for construction of the Fanny Village Government Primary School was awarded by the People’s National Movement (PNM) government on July 17, 2008 to ASHANA Civil and Mechanical Contractors Ltd.
Based on the minutes of a meeting held with the Minister of Education and Philip Whiteman, general manager of ASHANA, on September 17, 2010, the original cost of the project was $18 million but this was later revised to $35 million.
The minutes stated that EFCL paid $5 million to ASHANA and construction was expected to begin within 30 days from the award of the contract. The minutes said ASHANA initially got four foundation drawings and four construction drawings but between June and September 2009 ASHANA got no drawings.
EFCL then terminated the contract of the original consultant in November 2009 and ASHANA indicated that the project could take as long at 47 months, rather than 15.
The project was never completed and when the People’s Partnership got into office Gopee-Scoon said promises were made that a new contractor would be hired.
Cumberbatch said yesterday that the new school building was situated in a dam and the foundation of the structure was already cracking. In some places the walls did not have sufficient steel.
He hoped the burnt out school could be demolished and a new school constructed there.