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  • 1 year ago
Parents of students who attend the Rousillac Hindu School are calling on the Ministry of Education to prioritize the completion and reopening of the school.

For over 15 years students who attend that school have been doing so, at the Rousillac Community Centre after the school building was damaged by fire.

On Wednesday morning, while they protested once more for a new school building, another issue was raised about a change in accommodation for the SEA class.

Reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh was in Rousillac today.
Transcript
00:00A fire in 2003 caused significant damage to the Rosilac Hindu School building, forcing
00:06students into the next door temple for classes.
00:10And after some time, they were relocated to the Rosilac Community Centre, where they have
00:15stayed for over 15 years.
00:18It has been 15 to 16 years since our children have been here, right?
00:23The children, the past students of the Rosilac Hindu School does not know what is a school
00:28environment, because they have been, they started pre-school here, they finished SEA.
00:35Parents have protested multiple times over the years.
00:38The area's councillor says a school was being built under the People's Partnership Government,
00:44but work halted when the administration changed.
00:47When we had demitted office in 2015, the school was at 70% completed.
00:54Unfortunately, they have not, this government has not made any advances to open that school.
01:03A former PTA president of the school says they lobbied the current government many times
01:09and were promised that the school building would have been completed years ago, but that
01:14never materialised.
01:16And while issues of spacing and comfort have always been at the fore, parents complained
01:21that last week, the SEA class was relocated to an even more cramped room.
01:27They were moved because the principal, the now principal, was not comfortable.
01:34So she took the standard five class that the student was and turned it into her new office.
01:39The children were more comfortable, they had proper airflow, everything.
01:44Where they are right now, when rains fall, they get wet.
01:47It's a matter they want the Ministry of Education to rectify, as they claim school officials
01:52have been unwilling to meet with them.
01:55The parents say, despite the cramped classes and community centre facilities for the children,
02:01they are frequently asked to provide money towards various expenses.
02:06Every term, we have to contribute funds to AAC, to fixing up the AAC.
02:12This new term starting, they told us, they told the children to come tell us that we
02:16need to stop giving money for toilet paper, for hand soap, every single week.
02:21It don't matter if you have more than one child per household, every child has to bring
02:26five dollars.
02:27Per week?
02:28Per week.
02:29We contacted Minister of Education, Dr Nayan Gatsbidoli, on the concerns of the parents,
02:34but up to news time, did not receive a response.
02:38Cindy Raghubar-Tikasingh, TV6 News.
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