PRESS RELEASE – The Saint Lucia National Youth Council (SLNYC) continues to stand firm in its principle that education for young people across St. Lucia must be prioritized.
In light of the ongoing Augier Combined School occurrences the NYC is perturbed by the fly infestation and stench from nearby chicken farms which has led to the temporary relocation of the Augier Combined School. This issue continues to linger with no long term solution being presented or implemented.
The NYC believes students deserve a conducive learning environment at all times and the fact that this issue continues to affect the health of both educators and students of this institution is of grave concern. Education opportunities to young people should always be optimized, however in order for this to be adequately facilitated, the psychological, emotional, mental and environmental health conditions for students must be favorable.
Statistics have proven that school attendance has a major influence on educational outcomes and at this point it is unacceptable for this situation, which stems as far back as 2007, to not be effectively addressed.
It is imperative that Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development and Labour, Ministry of Health, Wellness and Gender Relations along with other relevant officials, explain to the students along with parents and teachers of Augier Combined School what their next move will be.
NYC commends other institutions have intervened and provided assistance by housing some classes. However, the students cannot continue to be deprived of this right to education and we understand the lamentations of Principal Ms. Kajana James. The NYC anticipates that this issue will be of high priority to all agencies involved.
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