Garlogie Primary makes plea for playground
published: Wednesday | April 5, 2006

Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter

Students play cricket in the roadway in front of the school. - PHOTOS BY NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

IF YOU have fond memories of running around on the playground at primary school, consider yourself more fortunate than the students of Garlogie Primary and Junior High School in Banana Ground, Manchester.

The rustic school in the hills of Manchester has no playground, so the more than 300 students are forced to play on the rocky terrain at the back of the school. With 23 students rushed to hospital in 28 days as a result of injuries they sustained while playing in this area, school administrators are pleading for help.

When The Gleaner visited the school recently, a group of about a dozen boys was playing a game of cricket on the roadway in front of the school. Every time a vehicle came along, the boys would have to stand at the side of the road and allow it to pass.

Principal Elvie Harrison explained that the students at the school show great potential in sports, but are limited because there is no playground. "It would also help the students to express themselves. It's good for physical activity and it would also help to relieve stress," Ms. Harrison said.

When the school has a sports day, administrators have to pay thousands of dollars to arrange transportation for the students to travel to a venue in Mandeville. They also have to pay thousands of dollars to rent the facility for the day.

The students who attend the school are between six and 15 years old. Because of the high injury rate, the school started keeping what administrators call a medical book. This is basically a record of all injuries that occur at the school. For the month of February alone, it was recorded that 23 students were taken to the Mandeville hospital to be treated for injuries. All the injuries occurred when the students were playing on the rocky area that they use for a playground.

Orville Salmon is the school's bursar. "There is a lot of open land all around, so we have asked the Ministry of Education to help us out," he told The Gleaner. "If they buy the land, then we will even clear it ourselves. We have some Merlene Otteys here, they just need an opportunity to develop. They just need a chance like every other child," he said.