Funding delays cause school jitters

Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer

Principals from schools across the island are pointing to delays in the delivery of government funding and other factors as they prepare for the new academic year in September.

Daniel Monteith, principal of Bethabara Primary and Junior High in Newport, Manchester, said up to last week, his school had still not received its maintenance grant from the Ministry of Education.

"We are getting ready, we are doing some cleaning up, both inside and outside, and we are trying to do some minor repairs, too, so that we can be back on stream fully for the new school year," Monteith told The Gleaner.

The principal was attending the Jamaica Teachers' Association conference in Ocho Rios, St Ann.

"Our main concern is our maintenance grant that we should have had from the Ministry of Education. Up to last week, I checked the ministry and there was none, and if we had this maintenance grant, then we would be better able to make better preparations for the reopening of school," he added.

No timeline

Monteith explained that there was no schedule for payment but it usually arrived early to facilitate necessary repairs to comfortably accommodate the over 600 students and staff.

A similar tale of delayed funding has come from a St Elizabeth school.

Wayne Mullings, principal of Austin Primary in Myersville, reported that the school was yet to receive any assistance from the ministry. He said there was critical work to be done at the plant to ensure the safety of the more than 112 students and staff.

"In terms of infrastructural development, my school is a multi-grade school and the roof is in a dilapidated state. Duck ants are infiltrating the entire ceiling, so I had to tear it down, basically for the protection of the children, because bits and pieces (of the ceiling) were coming down and it would have been a health hazard," Mullings said.

"In terms of electrical facilities, there are a lot of exposed electrical outlets, and stuff like that. I have done an estimate on that to have that remedied, because if students are caught in that, it could be a suit against me and my board and the ministry."

Concerns over security, furniture and bathroom facilities were expressed by principal at St John's Primary in Spanish Town, Huit Johnson.

No fencing

The school, which borders the Homestead community, is in need of proper fencing, needs up to 100 desks, and has only two bathroom cubicles for its 57 teachers, 55 of whom are women.

"Fencing is one of our problems. We have the wall, but the back is closer to the Homestead area, where we have some boys who jump the wire. We need to put up the razor wire. We have done a part of it, but we need the other section to be done. That's one of our major plans," Johnson said.

But it was a prettier picture that was painted by Norman Manley High School's principal, Adaire Powell-Brown.

With more than 450 new students expected to register for school, the institution, which boasts a population of more than 2,000 students and 90 staff members, the principal said there were no undue concerns at this time and everything "should be in place".

In Clarendon, Clayton Hall, principal of Four Paths Primary and Junior High said preparatory work was in progress.

"But we are awaiting the delivery of rental textbooks for grades seven to nine and our regular issue of textbooks for the primary department. We are also expecting to get a delivery of furniture that was requested for the new school year, but so far we have been assisted by the school-feeding unit with a gas range that will enhance the preparation of cooked lunches at the canteen," said Hall.