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You remember your school days don’t you? Classroom, desks, teacher, bells, etc. What if those days instead were memories of earth floor, cinderblocks, and a waste filled river flowing by. This, while the government delayed on the construction of your new school. Claudia Vasquez of the Free Press (Prensa Libre) writes of a school just 5 miles from the capital that faces these rugged conditions as the rainy season begins.
Children study on blocks
280 students receive classes in infrahuman conditions
By: Claudia VÃsquezBlocks instead of writing desks, walls of aluminum which are falling in, earth floor, and a river of waste water that passs by the patio is the conditions in which the school works an Rafael Los Vados, San Pedro Ayampuc, where 280 children must attend.
The community, located only eight kilometers from the capital, hopes that the necessities for the children are taken care of with urgency, due to the upcoming winter.
“We needed aid because we do not have writing desks and is there is so much mud”, lamented Gloria Vicente, teacher of 11 years.
Ana Graciela Sajcop Tuy, mother of three students, told of the bad conditions the children have had to endure, in addition to the odor of the “black water river” and the lack of writing desks, there are also diseases from contamination.
Maria Perez, another mother of family, related that the health center closest has been a closed for a month because the nurse is on vacation.
Commission visits school
A commission headed by Alfredo of Leon, deputy of Encounter by Guatemala, civil employees of Education, Health, Medio.ambiente and the local Municipality visited Monday the school and decided to take joint operations in next the 15 days.
Of Leon it was asked about the budgetary allocation of the new school that is constructed in the area, in charge of the Unit of Construction of Buildings of Estado (UCEE), of the Ministry of Communications, that stops this year ascends to Q700 thousands.
The last year Q1 million in the work was taken back; nevertheless, only 70 percent has been constructed, which, in its opinion, is too much. “we are investigating the case”, affirmed.
Change of schedule
Rina Roanet, departmental director of Education, was sorry that there has not been feedback, by the UCEE, on the advances of the work and that the neighbors have made a provisional construction that causes danger.
It was committed to take writing desks shortly, although the construction contract includes the furniture delivery.
While it finishes the construction of the new school, planned for October, they are considering a reduction in time of the school days, taking into account that rains appear almost always in the evening. Another alternative would be to rent to a land or near house.
Translated by AltaVista and Me!
