Hope Creek Villagers against changes in school

Hope Creek is located off the Hummingbird Highway near the Coastal Road. It’s not a village that is known for controversy; we last heard about Hope Creek when Tropical Storm Arthur caused havoc to the village. We headed back to the village today and found a number of militant parents at the new site of the government school.  They were not there to pick up report cards, the parents wanted to signal their opposition to two issues. Marion Ali was there and has this report.

Marion Ali, reporting

They didn’t march, but over fifty parents who bore placards at the new Hope Creek Village Primary school today got their point across just as loudly as if they did march.  Their message was to officials of the Ministry of Education and they had two major concerns: they are opposing the merging of the Catholic school with a Methodist denomination and the separating of the upper division from the lower division.

Concerned Parent, Hope Creek Village

“Dehn knock deh head?  You put three year old, four year old and five year old pan dah highway and see weh wah happen.  Deh noh wah cry because deh no have no kids deh.  We have kids deh.”

vicente chen

Vicente Chen, Chairman, Hope Creek Village

“We knew how much children was in the village and we knew that that space would be enough for everybody to come here. So I don’t think space was any problem, it’s just the location of the school was the problem I think. Because they wanted to take it to one mile down the road and we didn’t want that but I know space would be enough for the children.”

Ana Guerra, Pres., Hope Creek PTA

ana guerra

“We object to it and what we will come September is our kids will not be going to the Hope Creek Methodist School.  We will bring them right here and if that does not work, the majority of the parents are saying they are prefer to put them on the bus and send them to Pomona—to the other schools like Holy Angels and Saint Matthews School because they will not divide their kids.  They will not have some of their kids going to one school and the rest going to the other school.”

Oswald Garbutt, Parent, Hope Creek Village

“We are Catholic. I mean majority of the people up here are either Anglican or Catholic and then now they are making the school a Methodist school. So what they want us to do? Change our religion again or our kids to grow up in another religion? I mean we have to have some kinda say, you know? I don’t see the sense or why it can’t remain as the government school.”

The parents said they were not adequately consulted and did not know that the children would be placed at two separate locations.  But Deputy Chief Education Officer, Carol Babb, says the consultations have been ongoing.

carol babb

Carol Babb, Dep. Chief Education Officer, Ministry of Education

“It is something that they have been aware of from last year. The teachers were aware, the minister and the other people from the district centre met with the parents too. The parents are aware of that as well.”

Marion Ali

“They have concerns, two concerns: one; the safety of their children—having to separate them from the ones attending upper and the ones attending lower—that’s the first concern; the second has to do with the Methodist church taking over the school.”

Carol Babb

“Marion some of the children who attend this very school live on the opposite side of the road. So there will always be a safety issue. But the ministry of education plans to make a walkway, a side on the road—a safety-sign—and we will ensure that there are teachers or maybe school wardens to ensure that the children cross in a safe way. That will be on a daily basis when school is beginning, when school is being dismissed at lunch time, early afternoon and late evening.”

Marion Ali

“This stretch of road is about three-quarter miles long from what I understand. Will you have wardens along that whole stretch?”

Carol Babb

“Well not the entire stretch, but in front of the schools because right now the students they come from all over the village. So it’s the responsibility of the parents as well to ensure that their children are safe. We are going to ensure that when they are crossing the street that we have somebody there to ensure that they cross safely, a crossing guard. And we are going to make some signs on the road so that when vehicles pass, they will see that sign and they will know that they will have to slow down. It’s a school zone. School zones are all over the world and all over the world we have issues of safety and as I said earlier, students who come to this school live on opposite side of the road as well.”

Marion Ali

“Why can’t the entire school be located here? They are saying there is enough space here.”

Carol Babb

“Well we don’t think there is enough space. We are thinking about expansion. We want to put in computer room, an auditorium, a library—we are looking at the big picture and it would not accommodate everyone.”

Marion Ali

“The concerns have been put on the table and the proposals have been made.  How the matter resolves itself will be seen come the next school year in September.  Marion Ali, News Five, Hope Creek Village.”