487 students not yet enrolled; Ormskirk warns of loss of allocated school place

“If you do not do so, we will be forced to place the second group that comes to enrol there, with all the consequences that entails, meaning that your child may ultimately have no school at all or be unable to attend school,” Ormskirk says in an interview by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (minOWC).

According to her, the pre-registration process already made clear that several schools do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate all pupils in their own residential areas.

“Based on the pre-registrations, we saw that we had excess demand in any case, and still do,” Ormskirk said.

The ministry therefore had to turn to schools outside the immediate residential areas for 721 pupils. That measure has met with resistance from parents. Of the group concerned, 234 pupils have now enrolled, while 487 have not yet registered at the allocated school.

Strong resistance to alternative schools

Ormskirk cites several examples showing that parents are hesitant about the temporary placement. Of a group of 48 pupils referred to the Sylvesterschool for year 9, only 23 have enrolled, according to her.

The difference is even greater among pupils from the Kwarasan area. There, 180 pupils must temporarily attend the Ella Simonschool. Only 20 are said to have enrolled so far. “The parents are not happy,” Ormskirk acknowledges. “We understand the emotions. We understand all these kinds of matters, but as a ministry, we are also responsible. We cannot leave these children out in the cold, cannot leave them at home.”

According to her, the alternative is that pupils miss out on education or once again end up in a system in which they cannot attend classes every day.

Ministry wants to prevent a repeat of the previous school year

Ormskirk says the ministry specifically wants to prevent pupils from receiving education only part of the week because of a lack of space. “What we did not want, really, was for too many children to again find themselves in the situation of attending classes one day,” she says. According to her, the past school year showed that such a situation has negative consequences for school performance.

“Experience during the past school year taught us that most of these children did not make it. And we do not want that this year.” According to her, the ministry assumes that pupils achieve better results when they can follow education fully and consistently.

Placement outside residential area must be temporary

The AVO director stresses that the referral is not a permanent solution. In principle, the pupils would be accommodated at another school for one term. “Enrol your children at the place to which they have been assigned, because this will only last for one term,” Ormskirk says.

At the same time, the ministry is working to expand school capacity. Initially, about sixty classrooms need to be built. The aim is for the required classrooms to be available by December at the latest.

After that, pupils should return as much as possible to a school in their own residential area. “After that term, your child will be brought back to his or her own residential area. Then your child will again be placed at the school where he or she should actually be.” Existing school capacity is reaching its limits, according to the ministry, particularly in child-dense areas such as Wanica and Paramaribo-Zuid.

Additional bus routes and shuttle buses

Because some pupils must temporarily travel farther from home to school, the ministry has introduced new bus routes. Ormskirk acknowledges that there are also complaints about this. Some parents say their children still have to cover a considerable distance before they can reach a school bus.

“We, as a ministry, will also ensure that there are shuttle buses that will pick up the children in the early weeks,” she says. According to Ormskirk, the transport measures must prevent the temporary transfer from becoming an additional obstacle for pupils.

Appeal just before the start of the school year

With the school year starting on 1 October, Ormskirk makes an urgent appeal to the hundreds of parents who have not yet enrolled their children. “This is very serious: enrol your child where he or she has been referred, so that the child does not miss learning material or remain at home.”

According to her, responsibility does not lie with the ministry alone. “We feel responsible and we also ask that you bear that responsibility together with us. Only together can we ensure that challenges are resolved.”

The ministry wants as many pupils as possible to actually be at their allocated school when the school year begins. Time is therefore running short for the 487 pupils who have not yet been enrolled.