Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
A DECISION to close several schools within close proximity to Sabina Park during the staging of next year's Cricket World Cup has angered the Jamaica Teachers' Asso-ciation (JTA).
Labelling the move a disregard for proper industrial relations procedure, a livid JTA president Ruel Reid, said he was startled that such a consensus could have been reached without the input of his administration.
FEEL ENRAGED
"I really feel enraged about this type of facilitation ... certainly, we will not support any closure of schools to facilitate the World Cup," Mr. Reid said yesterday.
The JTA president insisted that the organisers of the event "ensure that students can commute to and from their destination without any major interruption."
Mr. Reid pledged that the matter would be raised during a meeting with the Education Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson and her team today.
Lisa Ogilvie, event manager, logistics and operations at Jamaica Cricket 2007 Ltd., organisers of the Jamaican leg of the World Cup Cricket 2007, told The Gleaner yesterday that all the schools that are going to be affected by the tournament's operations would be closed.
"We have special arrangements with the Ministry of Education that schools will be closed," Miss Ogilvie said. "We are to define what is the duration and length of the closures. What we do know is that the Ministry of Education is facilitating the closure."
ASCERTAINING DETAILS
Sabina Park will be in use between March 13 and 24, 2007. Four major games are to be contested within that period.
However Dorrette Campbell, communications director in the Education Ministry, was unable to confirm that the arrangements were made.
"I am ascertaining the details before I comment," she said.
Miss Ogilvie pointed out that no schools would be affected by the games to be staged at the Greenfield grounds in Trelawny. "Greenfield will be easier to manage because it is an open area and there are no schools in that vicinity," she said.
In addition to schools being forced to close their doors, vehicular traffic will also be impeded by the hosting of the World Cup at Sabina Park. Special arrangements are being made for emergency vehicles and those transporting the teams to the venue.
Major Desmon Brown, who is in charge of transportation at Jamaica Cricket 2007 Limited, admitted that life would not be the same for persons living and working in the area. "There will be some dislocation but we will try to minimise it," he said.
However, he said that the people to be affected would be apart of the decision-making process. He revealed that a survey is currently being carried out to canvass the opinions of persons living and operating businesses in the area.
However, Miss Nelson that no businesses would be required to remove their signs and buildboards as the 'red zone' only includes the Sabina grounds, sections of St. George's College and Holy Trinity High School.
AFFECTED SCHOOLS
* Jessie Ripoll Primary School
* Holy Trinity High School,
* St. George's College,
* Kingston College
*Convent of Mercy (Alpha Academy), Alpha Infant and Alpha Primary schools,
* Mico Teacher's College
