Students at the D.C. Caesar-Fox Secondary School in Waramadong, Region Seven, are reportedly using plastic sheets and cloth as a makeshift bathroom, while the institution remains without a dining hall and reliable facilities for washing clothes.
The concerns were raised yesterday by former staff member Chris Elliman following a visit to the school with parents of students from Paruima.
In a Facebook post, Elliman said the parents accompanied their children when they returned to school on Tuesday because they wanted to examine conditions which had recently attracted media attention.
He said the visit revealed that several important works had not been completed during the two-month holiday preceding the Christmas term.
According to Elliman, students are using plastic and cloth to create a bathing area and must use public landings to wash their clothes.
He also said patchwork repairs were being undertaken on the walls of the male dormitory, which he described as more than 30 years old. The design of the windows was unsuitable, he added.
Dormitory students reportedly lack adequate space to store their bags and do not have sufficient cupboards.
Elliman said the absence of a dining hall meant that students had to collect their meals and take them to their living quarters, where there were no tables or chairs at which they could eat.
He questioned which authorities were responsible for undertaking the outstanding work and whether inadequate communication had contributed to the delays.
Elliman said the administration had, over the years, submitted requests for work to be completed during school holidays. He added that complaints about conditions at the institution had been made for more than a decade and that officers had repeatedly visited without major improvements being undertaken.
The D.C. Caesar-Fox Secondary School is the only secondary school serving the Upper Mazaruni district. Students from several surrounding Indigenous communities attend the institution, with many required to live in its dormitory.
Kiskadee Watch reported yesterday that the school had reopened amid concerns over deteriorating buildings, inadequate water and sanitation facilities and unfinished structures.
The report said students from seven other villages were expected to attend the school and that many would be accommodated in the dormitory.
Sections of the school were observed to have rotting walls, some of which had been covered with paper. Several windows were boarded up with pieces of wood, while parts of the steps were deteriorating and appeared to present a safety risk.
Although a filtration system had been installed, the school reportedly did not have a reliable water supply with which to operate it.
An older structure on the compound was also in a deteriorated condition, while erosion was reported around the fireside area. A multipurpose hall and kitchen which were expected to be completed in 2025 remained unfinished, and the existing kitchen was considered unsafe.
Indigenous rights activist Laura George had also told Kiskadee Watch that hundreds of students at the school and dormitory continued to use pit latrines despite sanitary blocks being available at the institution. She alleged that the sanitary blocks were reserved for teachers.
Elliman also questioned the status of the proposed Jawalla Secondary School and plans announced over the years for a modern secondary school at Waramadong.
He said communities in the Upper Mazaruni did not have access to the financial resources required to correct the problems on their own and called for greater attention to educational conditions in the district.
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