No glitches at Portland, St Mary schools
Published:Tuesday | September 3, 2019 | 12:28 AMGareth Davis Sr/Gleaner Writer
Gleaner checks at a number of schools in Portland and St Mary yesterday revealed that the new academic year was off to a smooth start.
There had been fears that the severe drought conditions could have impacted a number of institutions in the northeastern section of the island, but day one progressed without any significant glitches as students and teachers turned out in their numbers.
In Portland, Ken Wright Primary, Port Antonio Primary and Nonsuch Primary, as well as Titchfield High, Port Antonio High, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church-run Portland High, all opened on time with approximately 98 per cent of the student and teacher population accounted for.
“We have no problem whatsoever,” Marlise Adiansingh, principal of Nonsuch Primary, told The Gleaner.
“We have never had any issue with water shortage, and, therefore, when other schools might have been affected by water lock-offs or the unavailability of potable water, this school has had water flowing through its pipes consistently. Today was the perfect start that we anticipated,” Adiansingh added.
At Port Antonio High’s Fellowship campus (formerly Fellowship Primary and Junior High), grade seven students were being registered ahead of the official start of classes on Wednesday.
Fellowship Primary and Junior High was ordered closed two years ago by the Ministry of Education as the population dwindled significantly. The facilities have been upgraded to house grade seven students from Port Antonio High.
In St Mary, Port Maria Primary, Clonmel Primary, St Mary’s High, Annotto Bay High, and Highgate All-Age all opened on time. Administrators have reported that water trucked to the institutions last Friday eased the tension amid concerns being raised by parents in light of the drought and water restrictions.