Mosquito infestation forces closure of Freeburg Secondary school

The Ministry of Education was forced to shut down the Freeburg Secondary School in Georgetown Monday due to a mosquito infestation generated by unsanitary conditions at the school.

On Monday, students and teachers were forced to evacuate the building due to the persistent problem, which resulted in three examinations being missed.

These examinations will have to be written in the new school term.

The News Room visited the school and was reliably informed that regular maintenance and cleaning at the facility have been neglected for some time.

Among the issues noticed were large tanks of water left opened while the drains around the compound were covered with overgrown bushes.

The News Room also learnt that the school’s lower flat has been consistently flooded during the rainy season. As a result, one of the major washroom facilities at the school became permanently flooded, lending to the mosquito problem.

The Ministry in a statement said the Ministry of Public Health’s Vector Control Unit will visit the school in the afternoon hours to fumigate the building.

As such, the building will not be used on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

While the students are being asked to stay away from school, teachers will be assigned to the Charlestown Secondary School.

School is expected to resume on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.