St. Peters: --- Students of the Starlight Education Foundation woke up yesterday morning not knowing that they would be out of school for an unspecified amount of time. Several school buses and parents dropped off their children at the school as early as 06:30am not knowing that there is no more building to house the students of that school.Some 180 students waited patiently along with some of the parents to hear what would be their next move.
Principal Carmen Hodge informed the parents that she was in arrears with the rent for the building since she is not receiving subsidies from the island government. Hodge vowed to continue the fight for her students as well as the other illegal- schools on St. Maarten.
She said she already contacted an attorney who made contact with the International Defense for Children in Holland and has taken up the matter.
Hodge explained that not one but two organizations who had promised to assist them did not live up to their promise which left them stranded, she said the Indian Women's Organization had promised them some $30,000 which was intended to pay off the arrears, but somehow the pastor that was arranging the donation did not stay in contact with the organization who eventually made their donation to the UJIMA Foundation. However, the organization has promised to consider the school for this New Year.
Starlight Education Center has to pay a rent of NAF. 7,500 monthly to occupy the building they are in now. Hodge said the reason they made that commitment was based on a promise made by the Time Share Association who promised them in the beginning (2006) that they would be paying the monthly rent for the school. Hodge said two months after installing in the new location the Time Share Association backed out of their pledge saying they would not assist if the Island Government does not assist. She said she made several contacts with the Association pleading with them to make good on their promise but to no avail. "Due to the fact the Time Share Association did not live up to their promise we are now in arrears to $55,000, even though the rent was reduced." Hodge said that since then she contacted the island government to re-consider the school for subsidies but the island government she said sent her a letter shortly after the 2007 island council election telling her that they have turned down the request.
The school she said has an overhead expense of nearly $18,000 monthly without the rent Hodge said, these expenses covers the salary of ten qualified teachers and office assistants while Hodge herself is not on the payroll. She added that the 180 students attending the school for a fee of $100 can hardly meet the monthly expenses. Another set back for the school is that many parents are not able to make the monthly fees on time, while some does not even make the payment.
Side Effects -Who are the ones to suffer?
While Mrs. Carmen Hodge is doing whatever possible to acquire government funding and associations such as the Time Share Association is playing politics with the school there are 180 students who have are now on the streets of St. Maarten. 22 of those students are expected to the sit the high school entrance examination this year and those students are the ones that stand to loose the most. If these students are not able to adequately prepare of the most important examination in their teenage life then this would ultimately affect their high school placements acknowledged Hodge and several parents at the school.
Karam Roopnarine a legal resident of St. Maarten who was also at the school yesterday morning said he has been living on St. Maarten for the past 10 years legally. The man said even though both his children carries his name he is not able to get them legalized on St. Maarten. He said each time he contacted Police Affairs seeking to file for his children and their mother since both parents is living on St. Maarten he is denied that right. Roopnarine said this has not only affected his children but their entire family is affected since he wants to legally marry their mother, that too cannot happen because the woman is living on St. Maarten illegally for the past nine years and has never left the island.
The father of two said he does not know what else to do because he is paying the necessary dues for his children including taxes yet he is not able to have his entire family integrate on St. Maarten.
In the meantime, the school Principal took one bus load of her students accompanied by their teachers to protest in front of the Government Administration Building knowing that an Island Council meeting was scheduled to take place. Upon seeing that Commissioner of Education Sarah Wescot Williams invited Hodge and one of her board members who happened to her husband to her offices where she promised them that she would try to have all parties at a meeting scheduled for later in the day where they would iron out the delays.
Island Councilman Rudolph Samuel who was looking at the developments said he does not understand why the island government would allow the school to incur such unnecessary expenses to rent a building from someone in the private sector. Samuel said it has been over three years now the upstairs of the Old Martin Luther King School is empty and this school could have occupied that space.
Commissioner Wescot Williams in an interview with SMN News said when she invited the directors of the Starlight Education Center to her office she made clear to them that it had not made any sense in her opinion to have the children standing in the hot sun because the school would not be receiving a decision today (Monday). She said the situation of Starlight Education is not a matter of today but it is a case they have been dealing with for a number of years. The education commissioner said they (island government) had attempted to solve the problem on numerous occasions but it is either was not legally possible and there are also times where management of the school did not accept government proposal. Wescot Williams said she was told that the school did not submit all the required information to the department and she intends to find out what those missing information is.
The commissioner said she also indicated to the school's directors that she is not in a position to take an independent decision on the matter regarding Starlight Education. She said even if she would have liked to do so it was not be possible since the department has to submit an advice to the island and executive council. She said even though she regrets the outcome of the situation which is arrears they now have for the present building in St. Peters. She said even though the former Martin Luther King School is empty she cannot send the students there since she would have to be advised on the matter.
Asked if department should give another negative advice what would become of the students since some of the parents of those students are residing on St. Maarten legally while their children are not. Should the advice be negative Wescot Williams said is to make sure they ask the directors to the school to live up to the legal requirements lay down by law before subsidies are granted.
The commissioner said that this would raise the question as who are responsible for the legalizing these students. She said there are situations where children are left on St. Maarten while their parents are gone to another island. Wescot Williams said these children are being cared for neighbors, aunts or even grand parents. She said anyone who brings the issue of Starlight Education to her is like preaching to then choir because her own nephew a local St. Maartener attended that school from its early stimulation class all through the system.
In the meantime, Carmen Hodge said that the commissioner never called her to that round table meeting which was promised. She said she received a phone call from the one Labega who told her that she would be in touch with her when Mr. Harrigan is back in office.
