…106 children affected
One hundred and six students being accommodated at the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School dormitory have been affected as the entity’s kitchen is out of essential food items.
A senior regional official in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) confirmed that the suppliers, who were contracted to provide food items for the school’s dormitory, have “put a hold” on the process after the cost for food raised and the regional administration has refused to meet with the suppliers.
The source noted that suppliers inked agreements to supply a certain amount of food items regularly at a fixed cost but because the prices for food items have increased, a meeting was requested by the suppliers to discuss the issue with the regional administration.
The source noted that the suppliers on Wednesday said that repeated calls to the regional administration’s senior officials to review their existing contracts considering the price change have been futile.
A letter, which was seen by this publication, was sent by the suppliers to the Regional Executive Officer (REO) Denis Jaikarran seeking his intervention. However, according to the source, this letter was never acknowledged and the efforts of the suppliers were futile.
In one of the letters sent to the REO, the supplier stated that the company will no longer be able to supply garlic and onion to the secondary schools, dormitories and hospitals in Region Two.
Inews was told that the suppliers were forced to cease supplying food items to the dormitory, since, according to them, they would be operating at a huge loss.
In addition, it was told that 106 students living in the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School dormitory did not receive any tea at breakfast on Wednesday but were rather given water to drink as part of their breakfast.
A close source to the school’s operation reported that the students are given “little portion sizes, water instead of tea, and no milk”.
Meanwhile, attempts to contact REO Jaikarran via telephone were futile. When contacted, Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt explained that he was unable to offer a comment since he only learnt of the situation on Wednesday.
