Burnt out Linden school…Grade Six students start year at new location

The Grade Six pupils of the burnt out One Mile Primary school, in Wismar, Linden, yesterday commenced the new school year at a new venue – the Block 22 Multi-Purpose Hall.

One hundred and twenty nine (129) of the 141 students reported for classes, which is comparable to what  pertains on any given first day of a new school term, Senior Mistress Candacie Plass said.

Teacher Ferdinand McLeod checking the children’s work

Plass pointed out that classes commenced promptly yesterday as all the cleaning and ‘fixing’ had been done over the weekend, and parents had turned up  with their children from as early as 07:30 hrs for the commencement of classes at 08:00hrs.

Furniture was donated from the Wismar Hill, Kara Kara and St Aidans Primary Schools, she added.

When this newspaper visited yesterday morning, the children, fresh-faced and excited in crisp new uniforms were already settled in, and classes were in session.

Four teachers, two male and two female, were busy engaging the students, most of whom were paying rapt attention to what was being taught.

The grade six students were the only children of the One Mile School who started classes yesterday.

Classes for the other students of the school, numbering more than 650 will commence on September 17.

Those students will be housed at the Wismar Hill Primary and One Mile Nursery schools.

According to reports, inadequate furniture to accommodate the children is the reason for the reopening date being postponed.

Senior Mistress Plass noted that in light of the tragedy of losing the school, teachers have rededicated themselves towards going the “extra mile” to ensure that “there is no retrogression” as regards the performance of the school.

She proudly pointed out that over the past five years the school has been doing “very well’ at the National Grade Six Assessments.

“We have seen much improvement in the assessments over this period, and we as teachers are certainly not going to become complacent, but we intend to work even harder. However we are hoping that losing the school would not impact negatively on the students.

Meanwhile Plass noted that while she cannot complain about their present accommodation, she is anxious to have the new school rebuilt as early as possible.

“You know there is no place like home”, she quipped.

Pupils engrossed in their schoolwork

The One Mile Primary School, which was reduced to rubble after arsonists reportedly set it on fire during the recent unrest in Linden, was the largest primary school in the mining town.

It housed more than 800 students.

Residents of Linden and their compatriots in the Diaspora have committed to rebuilding the school, “with or without the Government’s intervention”. (Enid Joaquin)