HEATHER?CARRINGTON?desperately wants her school age children to have an education but they have been absent from the classroom because they don’t have uniforms or books.
Three of her eight children are young adults – ages 22, 19 and 18 – and have already finished school.
The younger ones – ages 14, 13, eight, six and four – have not been to school yet for the term, already five weeks old, because they have no uniforms, books, shoes or bags.
The 40-year-old unemployed woman who lives at President Kennedy Drive, St Michael said she was visited yesterday by an official from the Ministry of Education while the principals of the schools which her children attend have also been calling her repeatedly about their non-attendance.
Carrington is concerned that she may be charged by the police because her children are missing school.
“The woman who came from the ministry told me that I?could be charged for not sending the children to school but I explained to her my situation and she told me she would see if the ministry could help so that they can go to school on Monday,”?Carrington said.
In addition to this problem, Carrington and her children live in a small wooden house which is badly in need of repairs. She said that she received no financial support from the father of seven of her children.
“Whenever I go to him for money he says come back the next day or he ain’t got no money,” she cried.
The $180 which she receives from the Welfare Department monthly is used to put food on the table for the children.
“If there is one thing that I?do is to make sure that they have something to eat. If I?don’t have money to buy groceries I?trust from a woman who has a shop and she lets me pay her whatever little I can afford.”
As to the children’s school supplies, Carrington said she used to get uniforms and other items from the Welfare Department but this time around there was no response to her application for support.
“I sent in an application for school uniform but I realize that the people at Welfare behaving funny these days. Whenever I go there they are telling me that I have to go and find a job. I?am trying but I?have not been able to find anything,” said Carrington, who also admitted that she had not worked for many years.
With no running water and no toilet facilities at her small home, Carrington said she and her children took showers at her aunt who lives opposite her, while her electricity was disconnected about three months ago for non-payment.
A few years ago, she said, officials from the Urban Development Commission promised to relocate her and the children to a new home but she had not heard from them since.
“It is real hard on me, but the children are okay; they just want to go to school,” she said.
mariabradshaw@nationnews.com
