By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Education Minister Desmond Bannister has accused the government of neglecting to complete school repairs before the start of the new term, leaving schools across the country “unsafe”.

Speaking yesterday at a press conference at FNM headquarters, the senator outlined a number of deficiencies present in schools, including haphazard paint jobs in the capital and the hurricane damaged Crooked Island High School.

Mr Bannister also claimed the government specifically awarded a number of high-paying school repair contracts to PLP operatives leaving other qualified Bahamian contractors without work.

“Regrettably, the PLP administration has returned to their old habits of putting the financial well being of their political pals ahead of the best interests of our children,” he said. “Accordingly, the opening of schools this year has not been as smooth as it should have been.”

Under the FNM, repairs were completed in a timely manner and schools opened on time, he said, but this year that ‘wonderful tradition’ has not continued.

“Under this PLP administration a number of schools have been left unsafe for students and teachers while at some schools necessary repairs have been neglected altogether,” Mr Bannister said. “Quite frankly, it is a very messy picture even by PLP standards, which are low when it comes to school readiness.”

In the junior block of the L N Coakley High School in Exuma, for example, ‘structural deficiencies exist that make the entire building unsafe for student and teachers alike’ and the PLP have failed to carry out the required repairs, Mr Bannister claimed.

The Staniel Cay School needs a new roof and the PLP have apparently not completed scheduled repairs ‘leaving our precious students and teachers vulnerable to the elements,’ he said.

The Crooked Island High School was ‘extensively damaged’ by hurricane Irene and although funds were allocated, the PLP ‘did nothing whatsoever’ and students are still housed in a temporary facility, Mr Bannister claimed.

A similar situation was found in the grade six classroom at Andros’s Lowe Sound Primary School, which ‘is no longer habitable’ and students are now taught in the computer room, he said.

“To make matters worse, we are receiving many reports of critical shortages of school supplies, school furniture and teachers from throughout the Bahamas,” Mr Bannister said.

He added: “My examples illustrate the neglect by the PLP of our family islands. That neglect is widespread throughout the family islands.”

In Grand Bahama, ‘several contracts’ for repairs were awarded to one ‘PLP operative’ who then shared the work out among sub-contractors of his choosing, Mr Bannister claimed, saying the same has occurred in New Providence.

“In New Providence, we have been advised the PLP gave a total of 12 school repair contracts to four persons. Each of those persons received three contracts. Additionally, 16 other contractors received two contracts each,” he said. “This means that a large number of qualified Bahamian contractors were not granted contracts this summer as the PLP awarded their friends with multiple contracts,” he added.

In one case, the PLP divided the work at a primary school into three contracts and then awarded the contracts to one person, Mr Bannister said.

“When combined, those contracts exceeded the sum of money that the (government) was lawfully permitted to sign off on. It was a clumsy attempt to evade the provisions of the Financial Administration and Audit Act and the government must now account for this breach of the law,” he said.

Mr Bannister also spoke of other instances where multiple contracts - in one case, exceeding $140,000 and in another exceeding $97,000 - were reportedly awarded to a single person.

“The manner in which these contracts were awarded to political supporters reflects directly on the poor quality of the work that was completed at our schools this summer,” he said, naming unpainted and half-painting buildings, unkempt foliage, and falling gutters as examples.