By Kisean Joseph
Student leaders at Pares Secondary School (PSS) expressed solidarity with their teachers who tokk industrial action this week, while voicing their frustration over the timing of sudden improvements to their school’s infrastructure.
The head boy and a senior prefect highlighted longstanding issues that have plagued the institution, ranging from structural problems to inadequate furniture and lack of proper security.
“Industrial action at our school isn’t a new thing,” said the head boy, Daniel Athill Jonas. “The teachers have demands, very reasonable demands that need to be met [and] as students, I think the majority of us understand why the teachers are in industrial action.”
The ongoing teachers’ action has particularly affected fifth-form students who are preparing for crucial examinations. Despite this, student leaders have maintained their support for the teachers’ stance while expressing concern about lost instructional time.
Prefect Lonica Carr emphasized the impact on senior students. “I’m kind of upset about it. I’m not upset at the fact that the teachers are striking because I completely agree with why they are striking, because a school is supposed to be a place where students are supposed to be secure and safe because they call it their second home,” she said.
Both students also expressed skepticism about the timing of recent maintenance work at the school, which began after the industrial action made headlines.
“I spoke to a teacher before, and she was saying that before I was born, before 2008, she … and other teachers have been asking them to fix the basketball court, to fix this, to fix that, and they have not done it yet,” Athill Jonas said.
“Now, all of a sudden, they’re doing it, and honestly, it made me angry.”
The school faces many infrastructural challenges, including unsecured access points and deteriorating facilities. Carr pointed out that the institution even faces health hazards: “We do have bats living in the wall. And that is a health hazard to both teachers and students.”
The furniture situation also remains dire. “We lack the proper amounts of desks and chairs,” Carr explained. “If you do have a desk and chair, they’re in terrible condition. The chair legs are also bent and unstable, so it’s easy for us to fall off or hit our head.”
Despite these issues, both student leaders praised their teachers’ dedication. Athill Jonas particularly noted how his experience contradicted warnings he received before entering secondary school.
“When I was in primary school, I was told that once you go into secondary school, nobody cares. Your teachers are going to write something on the board and then leave. Then I got to secondary school and I was like, I don’t have any of those teachers,” he shared.
As the industrial action continues at PSS, student leaders are calling for sustained attention to their school needs, not just reactive responses. They emphasize that improvements should be consistent and not just done during times of crisis or heightened media attention.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has begun addressing some of the concerns, but students remain skeptical about the motivation and timing of these interventions.
