The Ministry of Education has engaged a contractor specialising in pigeon control, mitigation, and proofing to address recurring infestations at several schools along the East Coast of Demerara.
Education Minister Sonia Parag announced the initiative during site visits on Saturday to affected schools, beginning with Beterverwagting Primary. The school will be pressure-washed and fitted with galvanised mesh to keep birds out.
A specific gel treatment, Parag said, will also be applied to the roof to stop pigeons from lingering.
“Previously I had said that we wanted children to be in school on Monday,” Parag acknowledged. However, she said that given the recurring nature of the problem, particularly near Pigeon Island, a stricter approach is being taken.
Following consultations with the school’s administration and Parent/Teachers Association, authorities decided that only Grade Six pupils will return to class on Monday. Other students will complete worksheets from home until the problem is brought under control.
The minister said every effort is being made to minimise the time children spend away from school.
“For this particular issue, given that it’s several schools, we are looking at what we can do long-term, as a government and as the Ministry of Education,” she noted.
The ministry also plans to use the upcoming Christmas break to deep-clean all affected schools.
Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who joined Parag on the visits, said community habits may be worsening the issue.
“Residents are feeding the pigeons in the vicinity of the school, and this is contributing to the bird population getting out of control,” said Michel Swanston Nurse, Head of the Technical Services Department (Air, Noise and Radiation) at the EPA.
She added, “while it may seem kind to feed them, it results in droppings from these birds in excessive amounts.”
Birds, Swanston Nurse warned, generally become a pest. The EPA will work with the Guyana Wildlife Management and Conservation Commission to raise awareness in areas prone to infestations.
Parag expressed hope that the issue will soon be resolved without harm to the birds.
“This is a problem, that has been explained to me, will not go away overnight, but it will go away, hopefully within a short space of time, and over time, it will continue to reduce,” she said.
Parag also visited Annandale and Golden Grove secondary schools, which face similar challenges.
“As we move through the different schools, we are going to engage the necessary stakeholders, so that we are on the same page when it comes to the upgrades and developments that need to happen in the schools,” Parag said, pledging visits across all regions.
She was accompanied by Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain; Deputy Chief Education Officer (Administration) Tiffany Harvey; Regional Chairman Clemsford Belgrave; Regional Education Officer Kean Adams; District Education Officer Caroline Daniels; Headteacher Givel Austin; and PTA representative Alvin McCurdy of BV Primary School.
Pigeons on one of the school buildings
