PRINCIPAL of St Benedict’s Primary School in St Andrew, Jacqueline Carter-Dixon, is making an impassioned plea for authorities to plug massive and dangerous holes in the vicinity of the school, created last year during construction of the eastern leg of the Southern Coastal Highway which stretches from Harbour View, St Andrew, to Morant Bay in St Thomas.

Carter-Dixon, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Thursday, urged that the problem be fixed before school reopens in September to prevent her students, residents and all those who traverse the area from possibly becoming injured or dying from a fall.

“I have a very concerning matter as it relates to the safety of our students, teachers and even members of the community with the gaping holes that were created due to the construction and they have left it unattended from last year. We have sought to get contact with the people in charge of the project and to date, we have not received any feedback and we cannot at least get through to a direct person who we can make queries,” she said, adding that recently a truck fell into the hole while trying to navigate a narrow pathway and big holes along the roadside.

Carter-Dixon told the Observer that she made numerous visits to workmen on the project who informed her that they would pass her message on to their supervisors. However, she said nothing has happened to address the problem, which she is perturbed by.

The headmistress bemoaned the stress that the situation causes the staff at St Benedict’s when school is in session. She shared that teachers have exerted themselves beyond normal school hours to ensure the children access transportation in a safe way.

“It has not only placed the children at greater risk on the road — for those who take the bus — but it poses an additional stress on the teachers because what we have had to do is keep the children on the inside of the school in the evenings. The teachers have to go out [and] wait until the buses come, before we allow the students to go out.

“Kids will be kids and we don’t want them going and playing and then you hear that any of them fall in a hole without us being aware of it. Anything can happen after that. When it rains we are extremely concerned because we don’t want any of the students to fall into the hole. Probably it would be when the rain stops that you would find out that a child would have drowned in those craters in front of the school. People who are blind can fall into those trenches,” she said.

Furthermore, it was her opinion that the children deserve better and that the matter should have been dealt with from the initial stage of the planning process by the relevant authorities.

“Our children are no lesser than any other. If it was another school where you have affluent parents, I am sure this would not have been tolerated as they would have plugged the gap from the initial stages. I am hoping that even before September when we return to school that this situation is remedied.”

Carter-Dixon highlighted that that even a pedestrian crossing that was in front of the school was eroded as a result of the roadwork. She expressed gratitude to pedestrian crosser who she referred to as Mr Angus for extending himself beyond what is required.

“I am really thankful for Mr Angus. He literally steps out into the road most of the times to get vehicles to stop. Those who pass on a daily basis are aware that he is there because he attentively looks after the children. Not only is there no pedestrian crossing, there is no sign to indicate that traffic should yield or be aware of students crossing. Some of our students traverse to school by themselves.”

In the meantime, when the Observer contacted Stephen Shaw, communications manager of the National Works Agency for comment on the matter, he said he was unaware of the situation, but pledged to make inquiries into the existing danger.