RECENTLY, THE ST. Catherine Public Health Department ordered the Braeton Primary and Junior High School closed after it was found to be unsanitary. Thirteen other institution swere also ordered closed for similar reasons.
It was also learnt that Braeton Primary and Junior High bathroom facilities, which were built to accommodate 400 students, were now serving almost 1,000.
Braeton Primary was scheduled to be reopened on Monday, but let us not forget that the children at this institution have lost an extra week of school adding to the days already lost because of rains associated with Hurricane Wilma and protest action in September.
It is sad that pressure will now be placed on the teachers and students at the institution to catch up on lost days because the authorities neglected to do their jobs ensuring that the school's bathroom facilities were up to standard.
Dear readers, although the Minister of Education is operating on a shoe-string budget, THE STAR believes more can be done to ensure that schools are healthy and comfortable places for students to learn. It is sad that one week of school was lost because bathroom facilities were in a deplorable state owing to the fact that someone along the line failed to do his or her job.
It is time that the Government starts to put its money where its mouth is and ensure that schools are not seen as health hazards. The introduction of new plans for success is fine but they will never work if students and teachers are not comfortable.
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