Residents of Penal Rock Road staged a fiery road protest yesterday as they heightened their calls for a new building for pupils of St Dominic’s RC Primary School, Penal.
Shortly after daybreak, the residents blocked the streets of Lachoos Road, Penal Rock Road and Oliverie Drive, causing gridlock traffic during the morning rush hour.
Small groups of residents burned tyres, pieces of wood and metal, and garbage in the streets as they called for intervention from the authorities for a permanent structure for their children after the primary school on Oliverie Drive was condemned in 2017.
Since then, the school population of approximately 170 students has been given temporary housing at the Penal Community Centre.
However, many parents have stopped their children from attending classes at the community centre, as they said it has fallen into a state of disrepair, with malfunctioning toilets and falling ceiling tiles.
Parent Teacher Council president Sharon Baptiste said that at a meeting with the parents and the principal on Wednesday, the relocation of the Standards Threes, Fours and Fives to the Rock Road Hindu School, and Standard Ones and Twos to the Penal Fire Station was discussed.
Baptiste said although there was a promise from the Ministry of Education that transportation would be provided to the locations, some of the parents were not comfortable with the arrangements, and decided on a boycott.
“Some of the parents and the community people were upset because they were not in agreement with the offer,” said Baptiste, adding, “But since 2017 the children were relocated and the ministry had given them six months to be in the community centre, and they would do the repairs on the school which was never done. They remained there for seven years and this is why they have no faith and trust in the Government.”
SEA concern
Resident and parent Krystle Garcia said she was not in agreement with yet another temporary housing arrangement for the schoolchildren.
“Why we cannot get back our school? The minister is not coming to anything. Why do our children have to leave here to get to the next school? What about single parents who don’t have the money to send their children to school? We want back our school. We will keep on doing this until we get back our school. We are not taking our children anywhere else,” said the parent.
Another parent, Jernicia Marchan, said she was very concerned as her son is in Standard Five and would be writing the Secondary School Assessment (SEA) in a few weeks.
“I am paying for lessons. We do not know where they will be sitting SEA,” said Marchan.
The demonstration escalated at times when protesters, some wearing jerseys and masks covering their faces, shouted obscene language as they fed the fires with discarded materials and tyres.
A few of them attempted to break off the Lachoos Road street sign, but stopped as police officers responded to the scene.
By mid-morning, employees from the Penal/Debe corporation had cleaned the charred remains of the debris.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said while she was in support of a new and permanent structure for the schoolchildren, she did not agree with blocking the roads.
“That is not the way to protest. God gave us a mouth to talk and to reason with people about things. This is not the way to go about getting anything done for yourself or your children.
“They are distressing other people in the area, such as causing a lack of business. Some of them are shoplifting. People are seeing this nearly violent manner in which they are acting and will be fearful to come over here.
“People cannot move around in their vehicles, they cannot go to work, preventing people from doing their business. Look at their anger, attitude, and the obscene language. They are also littering the place because those burnt tyres bring terrible ash all over the community,” she said.
Education comes first
Another resident, a businesswoman who did not wish for her name to be published, said her business was suffering because of the protest, but she empathised with the parents of the displaced schoolchildren.
“I am sorry that these children cannot have their school for all of these years. They keep sending the children all over the place to have classes, and that is not right.
“Some were in the Penal Community Centre, some in a church hall, and now they want to put them in the fire station. This is a lot of inconvenience for the parents, and people in this community are not rich so they are just keeping their children at home.
“But I also do not agree with the manner of the protest, as I have a food business and my business is shut down because of this protest. But at the end of the day, it is the children who are suffering the most,” said the resident.
Vice-chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation and local government councillor for Penal Shanty Boodram told the Express she was in support of the call for a new school.
“Every time a national budget is approved, there is no allocation for a new school for these children. The parents are right to ask for a guaranteed date that they will get a new structure. This is a primary school with just about 170 children and this should be made a priority. Education for the children should come first,” said Boodram.
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