BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH the new school term just days away, the question of whether or not the Basseterre High School is safe for students and teachers to return to has been raised.
The contamination issue is one that has been plaguing the school for almost two years, but the news did not go viral until the weekend of November 17-18 after experts of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Industrial Research Institution (CARIRI) failed to show up to conduct tests as promised by the Ministry of Education.
The teachers staged a sit-in the following Monday (Nov. 19) and expressed their concerns over the possibility that the environment was unsafe and was making both students and themselves sick.
They had declared that they would not be holding classes until the issue was properly addressed.
However, the Wednesday after the sit-ins were staged, experts of the CARIRI showed up and tested the school's labs for a number of gases which revealed that the levels within the school were normal and should not be harmful to anyone.
They were however unable to state whether any biological agents and respiratory particulates were present in the air, and samples were sent to the United States for analysis with results expected in three weeks time.
Speaking with an individual today (Jan. 5), this media learned that there were quite a few meetings held yesterday (Jan. 4), including staff meetings and a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Education, addressing the contamination issue that has been plaguing the school.
The individual explained that not much has been done to the school since its official closure following industrial action taken by the teachers in mid-November last year (2012).
However, prisoners of Her Majesty's Prison were on the school's compound cutting grass around the area of the Chemistry Laboratory.
The person did explain that the Principal and Deputy Principal of the school, after meeting with the Education Ministry, stated that they were shown the 27-page report submitted by the CARIRI but they could not relay what was seen because of legal implications.
The individual further explained that, according to what was said in the meetings, the legal team would have to review the report before sending it back to the experts at the CARIRI in Trinidad to be edited before the teachers, parents and/or public could be privy to the information contained within.
The person stated that they were told by the Education Minister that if they were to be given the details of the report, they would not understand its contents because it was complex and filled with technical jargon.
They were however told in the preliminary report that no chemical was found in the air, but the experts did find a higher than normal amount of bio-organisms and suggested that the laboratories and surrounding classes be power washed.
The person said the teachers made a number of resolutions at one of the Friday meetings, which included seeing the report and having the sewage system dealt with.
According to the individual, school resumes on Monday (Jan. 7) only for the fifth form students who would be taught in the Old Girl's School on Victoria Road, while the remaining students are expected to return on Wednesday (Jan. 9) when the school should be back to a state of normalcy.
