Fahie: Signage was to build pride among students
The school was instructed to remove the signage that says “Mighty, Mighty Scatliffe” on the school building and has upset some staff members as well as parents. Our sources reported that Minister for Education and Culture Myron V. Walwyn instructed that the newly erected signage, with words ‘The Mighty Mighty’, be removed from the school and replaced with ‘Althea’.
Furthermore, our sources stated that the Minister directed the school principal that the removal be completed before school re-opened on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. The email with the directive was reportedly sent on the evening of Sunday January 1, 2012 by Acting Chief Education Officer Jillian Douglas-Phillip.
Principal of the school Marieta Flax-Headley labelled the directive as insulting since no reasons were given for the decision and that neither herself nor the two assistant principals were contacted on the issue prior to the directive being issued. She said the school signage had been given the nod by Hon. Andrew Fahie when he was the Education Minister.
According to Mr. Fahie, the signage was part and parcel of much bigger issues that were brought to the forefront following meetings the Ministry had with the administration of the school during his tenure as Minister. He noted too that it was in the current Minister’s right to have the signage removed. “I would suppose that he consulted with the school and education officials on what course of action would be taken but it is his prerogative,” Hon. Fahie told Virgin Islands News Online.
He added that as the then Minister for Education he understood what was the purpose of the signage, which he said was to build pride among students of the school, and that it was discussed and done after consultations among the Ministry, school’s administration and Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA). He said among the much bigger concerns that were brought forward, and which his then Ministry had already started to address, were leaking roofs; unsafe playground, which has since been rebuilt; electrical works and windows for classrooms.
Meanwhile, Minister Walwyn issued a statement on the matter yesterday January 3, 2011, in which he said it is a long standing policy for the Government of the Virgin Islands to name schools in honour of outstanding educators and that the Althea Scatliffe Primary School is one such institution. “The recent painting of what appeared to be a slogan on the school, though ingenious and fosters school spirit, is not in keeping with the expressed desire to honour those who served and the promoting of their legacy of service. The said signage has thus been removed from the school building after the principal was informed accordingly,” the statement read.”
“It is noteworthy to inform the public that such a sign on the exterior of a public building should be approved by Government or may be placed on the interior of the building on a bulletin board or as a poster,” the statement concluded.
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