The?Barbados Community College?is in need of an urgent upgrade, according to president of the Students’ Guild, Damani Parris.
Parris, who took the WEEKEND NATION on a tour of the Howells X Road, St Michael institution has given the physical plant a failing grade. He said the facilities were woefully inadequate for the needs of the students, especially in this technological age, charging that the institution had fallen way behind in the modernization process.
He complained that the guild had written to the administration of the college highlighting several problems and the urgent need to have those problems rectified, but charged that management at the college was moving too slowly on the issues.
The guild’s complaints include the upgrading of the electrical system, repairs and refurbishment of the physical plant, the lack of wireless connection, and lack of constant maintenance of the campus.
Parris charged that the accident rate among students at the college was too high, pointing out that students had been shocked by faulty electrical equipment, had fallen down stairs because of poor lighting and broken stairwells or had received cuts and bruises while traversing the campus.
He pointed out that classrooms in the Division of Commerce contained several rusty and faulty overhead fans, which posed a danger to students.
In the Science and Technology Division, he said, the electrical system was so outdated that students were unable to use their laptops or other equipment and were forced to bring their own transformers since the division used only 220 voltage.
Throughout the tour of the classrooms, Parris pointed to exposed electrical wires in sockets and light switches because of missing cover plates, uprooted floor tiles in some areas and broken desks and chairs. He charged that the maintenance department was too slow in carrying out repairs.
Parris also stated that it was unacceptable that in a computer age students were unable to use their laptops in the library. He said the guild had been paying hundreds of dollars monthly in order to provide wireless connection for students because the administration at the college refused to make this provision.
The guild president reserved his greatest criticism for the college’s Division of Fine Arts, pointing out that not much attention had been paid to the physical building even though the facilities were constantly in use by the students.
“This is a serious situation. The students in that division have received the worst treatment from the college,” Parris stated, as he pointed out holes in the wooden floor of the performing arts hall; filthy bathrooms with broken latrines; dark corridors and walkways; and walls in need of a fresh coat of paint.
Parris admitted that his guild had been unsuccessful in getting many of these issues addressed and said he was publicly highlighting them in the hope that the authorities would recognise that the neglect of the college could not continue.
When contacted, Principal Gladstone Best admitted that the guild had brought these matters to management’s attention. “We are working on them.The college is committed to providing the best environment for teaching and learning. We want to produce the best possible graduate and we need to have not only the right teaching environment but also the best physical environment”, he stated.
