Schools got nomination day notice — Fisher

DIRECTOR of Elections Orette Fisher has pointed out that the 20 or so schools being used as nomination centres were not commandeered without the appropriate notices to students and guardians.

“As stipulated under law, notices listing the locations of all centres to be used for each constituency were published in both daily newspapers,” the director of elections told the Observer.

“Permission would have to be given by the administrators of the institutions and that was done sometime ago because during the finalisation of the locations we would have sent out notices to say where the nomination centres would be,” he said.

“In addition, the returning officers on receiving the writ of elections are required to publish the notices indicating the locations of the nomination centres and again this was done in both daily newspapers,” he pointed out.

The director’s comments came against the background of a media report which said students of the Mamby Park Basic School at 161 Constant Spring Road in the St Andrew North Central Constituency were displaced because of Nomination Day activities which began at 10:00 am today.

The school is located on premises belonging to the Mamby Park Baptist Church, which is listed as one of the nomination centres in that area.

Fisher noted that since the school was located on the same premises as the church, it would have been the responsibility of the administrators to inform students and their parents as well.