00:00The beginnings of what was supposed to be a brand new school to serve the
00:04presale area and surrounding communities. But the project has since become an
00:07eyesore after the People's Partnership government started construction in 2014
00:11but after losing the 2015 election, work stopped completely.
00:16Counselor for the Freeport-Chickland area, Anil Ballyram, tells us
00:20the abandoned building has become a hub for unwanted activity
00:23within the community. This project was abandoned for 12
00:27consecutive years. This school has been overgrown.
00:31The compound has been overgrown and it was a health issue
00:34and a safety issue for the residents of Presale.
00:37We have situations where there were robberies
00:40and when the police tried to capture the persons
00:43they were running here and they had
00:46they couldn't find them because of the overgrown
00:48and we have reports of all kind of illegal activities
00:52was taking place in the compound. It's a school that has produced
00:55former ministers, top athletes and a number of doctors and engineers.
00:59But after the school was moved to the community centre
01:02where only 200 students can be accommodated
01:05out of the approximately 500 that the school would usually hold
01:08the school has experienced an effective brain drain.
01:11What happened is while as they are using the community centre
01:15parents were forced since 2014 that they looked at the schools
01:20that are surrounded. So we have parents who remove their children
01:23from the Prisal Government primary school
01:24and send them to the Freeport Presbyterian School
01:27in McLean, the Freeport Hindu School
01:29and exchange the surrounding schools
01:31that at least helped
01:35because it didn't have space for all the students
01:37so parents removed children as well.
01:39Apart from lower numbers, being housed in the community
01:42presented other problems.
01:44Well, one, the community centre is not equipped as a school
01:49so it had to be set as a school.
01:53One, they have toilet facility because the capacity of a school
01:57compared to community centre is more frequently used as a school
02:00so frequently that they have cesspit farms overflowing and such.
02:13One resident who spoke with TV6 also told us about the concerns of the residents living in the immediate surroundings.
02:20Number one would be, of course, safety.
02:24That school there, there were many cases of people living in there and so on, vagrant sometimes
02:29but bandits could be there too.
02:31But there were reports to the police about people, supposedly bandits, something like that.
02:37And, of course, the health safety, health and safety aspect, health, was a major concern
02:44because this thing was really a breeding ground for rats and snakes and vomiting and pests and so on.
02:49So we would have complained when across the road there, plus next door is the vet.
02:54He probably would have complained the most because his business is running there
02:58and he was always in problems with rats and so on going across by him.
03:04When TV6 arrived today, Councillor Ballyram and a handful of workers enlisted in the National Programme
03:09for the Upkeep of Public Spaces, NPOP's programme, were continuing work they had started a few days prior
03:15to clean up the compound.
03:17Councillor Ballyram also told TV6 that MP for the area, Dr. David Lee,
03:22has made the project one of his main focuses in the constituency.
03:26Dominic Ramroop, TV6 News.
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