School at last!

AFTER THREE years of inconsistent attendance due to financial challenges and difficulty getting into a high school close to home, 16-year-old Daniel Gibbon is relieved after completing his first week of full enrolment at Maud McLeod High.

“I feel good, knowing that I am going back to school now, and I get along well with my teachers and classmates. I feel very happy and I feel like everything is in place now,” Daniel told The Gleaner, unable to conceal his gratitude.

Daniel’s plight was highlighted in The Gleaner two weeks ago, where he expressed a desire to attend school more regularly as he could rarely afford to go more than twice each week.

At that time, he was enrolled at Petersfield High in Westmoreland, but struggled to afford the $1,700 fare to commute daily.

That situation was compounded as Daniel’s mother, Corcia Gibbon, has to support two other children as she also deals with her own health challenges.

It was for that reason that she sought to transfer him to Maud McLeod High, which is only a few minutes’ walk from their home in Darliston, Westmoreland.

However, that process was complicated by Daniel having been previously transferred from Munro College in St Elizabeth, where he was originally placed after his Primary Exit Profile examinations, and then by repeated failed attempts to reach an accord with the Maud McLeod administration.

Following a meeting with education ministry and Maud McLeod High representatives, Daniel was able to begin his first official class at the institution last week Tuesday.

“I am very much elated after everything, to know that I got him closer here to school. I can’t even find the right words to explain how I feel, but I am overjoyed, and I am very happy that he is in school now and that he can go to school every day,” the relieved mom said.

The Gleaner’s attempts to contact Maud McLeod High Principal Avis Bailey-Coleman were unsuccessful.

There has also been an outpouring of offers to assist Daniel since his story was published, ranging from financial assistance to offers of placements at other institutions once he finishes his education at Maud McLeod High.

The situation raises the matter of proper school zoning, which would see students attending secondary schools within specific geographical regions, often close to their homes.

In response to earlier Gleaner queries, the Ministry of Education noted that secondary school placements are based on parents’ choices of institutions, with five preferred ones from anywhere in the country being selected as well as two on a proximity list.

The Gleaner was unable to reach Permanent Secretary Dr Kasan Troupe for further comments yesterday, but Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Leighton Johnson said Daniel’s case highlights the need for the ministry to place greater focus on ensuring that all students are able to attend school.

“What we need to insist and ensure happens is that, in many instances, students are placed in schools that are close to their homes,” said Johnson.

“I believe, too, that again it is urgent and necessary for us to seriously contemplate zoning. It is something that we have articulated before, and it is something that we really need to take a serious look at to ensure that students do not find themselves in a situation where they are unable to attend school because of the [distance from home],” Johnson added.

“Parents have complained time and time again that students have been placed in schools that have been located outside of their parish, or they have been placed in schools where they have to take three or four modes of transportation to get to school. I believe this is something we need to take a serious look at.”

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com