COOPERS PEN SCHOOL BLUES

WESTERN BUREAU:

Of the 25 school-age children whose homes were bulldozed during a recent demolition exercise in Coopers Pen, Trelawny, only seven ventured out for the start of the new school year on Monday, as displaced families struggled to prepare them for classes.

When The Gleaner visited the community on Monday morning, residents said 18 of the children who would normally have returned to school had been relocated to stay with relatives in other areas, creating uncertainty about when – or whether – they will be able to resume classes.

The residents were among occupants of the 20 houses demolished on August 11. The others residents have also been living in fear, with the treat of demolition also hanging over their houses.

One resident, who lost her home and asked to be identified only as Marcia, said her step-granddaughter was among the few children fortunate enough to have their school supplies spared in the demolition.

“A lot of the children are not able to go to school, and their parents and guardians are not able to cope because everything was destroyed in their homes, including the children’s books,” she said. “They would go to schools in the area, but their parents would now have to find another alternative school for them to go to.

“Fortunately for me, it was not so, because my step-granddaughter, who is starting grade three, had her books on the other side from where the demolition happened, and her uniforms were still at the tailor. But many of the other children are not able to start school because they are displaced.”

Marcia said many children have been sent to live elsewhere as the temporary tents donated to them after the demolition are hot and, in many instances, unable to accommodate all family members.

“It is not appropriate for good living, especially where children are concerned,” she told The Gleaner.

Another resident, Duke, said his three children were among those unable to attend school following the demolition.

“Monday morning, the first day of school, is a disaster. Most of the kids do not even have uniforms because their places were demolished, and most of the people cannot stay in the tents that are here. Everybody is here wondering what is next,” he told The Gleaner.

“Out of the 25 kids that live here, only about seven of them have gone to school. The rest are with their grandparents because they cannot stay in this environment, because in the tents, they can get sick because of the whole heap of dust and dirt, and it is not safe,” Duke explained. “Even if you do not love the adults, you have to think about the kids, because they cannot manage this environment.”

The demolition exercise took place on August 11 on the 705-acre property, displacing scores of residents, including several newborns and toddlers.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness subsequently described the displacement as a “humanitarian crisis”, while maintaining that the unauthorised occupation of other people’s land should not be supported.

Images of the demolitions and displaced families, including a mother with a newborn baby, circulated widely on social media in the aftermath.

New Falmouth Resorts Limited is the legal owner of the property. Some of the affected residents say they had occupied the land for decades and had hoped to acquire legally the parcels on which they had built their homes, if given the opportunity to purchase them.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com