Swarms of bees have invaded four schools in Siparia, stinging several pupils and forcing the closure of a pre-school. Among the schools affected were the Early Beginners Servol pre-school, Siparia Union Presbyterian School, St Brigid’s Girls RC and the Siparia Boys RC primary schools. Parents, who have been waiting for help since last week, protested outside the pre-school, calling on Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh to intervene immediately.
Pre-school head teacher Elizabeth James-Bobb said the presence of the bees was seasonal. Saying spraying was a short-term remedy, she called on the ministry to put wire mesh around the classrooms to keep out the bees. She said staff from the Ministry of Agriculture visited last week but could not find a nest. “I am weary and I don’t know what to do. I feel sorry for the children. They cannot eat their snacks or drink their juices.
“We have children who are allergic to the bee stings and twice last week we had to carry pupils to the health facility because they were stung,” James-Bobb said. The school has 46 pupils and three teachers. She added one student, Anne John, stayed home for two weeks because she was allergic to bee stings. John’s mother, Vikie-Ann Milette-John, said she had decided not to send Anne to school until the bees were eradicated.
“Since my daughter got stung I cannot work because I have to stay at home to see her. I want the minister to get involved in this and help us,” Milette-John said. At the St Brigid’s Girls’ RC School some parents quickly collected their children from school on hearing about the bees. Students from Standards One to Five were not affected as their air-conditioned classrooms had no vents to let them in.
Classes were not disrupted at the Siparia Union Presbyterian School and the Siparia Boys’ RC but pupils were banned from drinking juices and soft drinks. They were also told not to throw garbage in the classroom bins as that would encourage the insects.
