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| Saddelrs Primary School |
Work on the refurbishment process for the Saddler's Primary School finally begun on Monday, May 21st. The long needed refurbishment process is being funded by the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF). Funding was received after over 10 years of promised repairs, many complaints by the teachers, and the school being deemed a health hazard in 2005 by Lincoln Hazell, General Manager, Glimbaro's Pest Control, where his assessment showed the illness of many students and teachers were the result of the bat infested buildings.
On October 30th, 2006, the school was officially relocated to the Saddlers Sporting Complex. After almost seven months of being packed in the sporting complex, the students are now hopeful of moving back to their beloved school as to combat to the summer heat which creates ventilation problems in the pavilion.
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| Saddlers Sporting Complex |
Even through this ordeal, teachers have created a learning environment by decorating the ply board dividers with charts and pictures. Of the four small rooms, three have been subdivided to house 14 or more students each. Grade six is the only class priviledged to have a single room as they are preparing for the High School entrance exams. These students have to endure the heated rooms not only during the day but also during their private tutoring sessions held by community members after school hours at the same pavilion.
As the rooms were not created for lengthy stays, there is no proper ventilation resulting in the illness of students and teachers. Teachers have rotated classes being held outside but also fear for the students safety and health with the steep steps leading from the pavilion to the field and the dust coming from the neighbouring dirt road and High School construction.
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| One of the Rooms, Housing two classes |
Many parents, guardians, and teachers have voiced their dissatisfaction with the present schooling conditions but on the contrary the situation has become a rallying point for the community as they have realized that they have really adhered to the old adage "it takes a village to raise a child". This has led to parents stepping forward and donating fans and other basic items to improve the comfort of the temporary school building after the many unfulfilled promises from the ministry to provide such materials.
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| Parent donating a fan to the school | Chief Education Officer, Mr. Patrick Welcome, in a brief interview prior to the refurbishment work, admitted that the process had encountered several setbacks and he was reluctant to give a specific date as to when the process would eventually start, as he wanted to avoid any disappointment as a result of more delays.
Mr. Osbert DeSouza, of the BNTF, said he was relieved that the contract had been signed and the work had commenced after the delays. The BNTF received four bids with Mr. David Brandy, owner of Flames Building Construction Ltd. and an active community member of Saddlers Village, awarded the contract which was signed in March 2007 and the plans presented to him during the week of May 14 (last week).
The head teacher of the school, Marva Bradshaw, prior to the start of the refurbishment process was visibly frustrated and noted that the students were understandably very uncomfortable on several occasions but have given precedence to the learning process.
Some villagers expressed disappointment that the students should suffer the consequences of being housed in the temporary school for so long. They lamented that work was supposed to have started a very long time ago but it was constantly put off and really touched on the nerves of all. Some even went so far to "buse" the Government for neglecting the students and the community as the school grounds also serve as a meeting point for community activities such as community meetings, youth meetings, and boys' brigade. Presently, some functions and projected community events are forced to be placed on the back burner due to this dilemma.
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| Saddlers Boys Brigade at Saddlers Primary School |
The refurbishment process is expected to take several months, and should be completed in time for the new school year commencing in September 2007. The contractor, Mr. David Brandy even through the challenge of no duty free concession on materials and supplies for the school's renovation, states that he will double his efforts in completing the project before the school year begins as he is aware of the urgency of the matter.
However, through it all, the students and teachers have shown that they are driven by the will to learn and teach and will not be distracted by the opinions and obstacles that prevail.
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| Kids writiing on a blackboard located outside the pavillion |
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