In education, delays are unacceptable

It’s no secret that a good education system is key to building a better society.

UNESCO, for instance, listed literacy as a basic human right more than 50 years ago and non-profit organizations consistently establish schools in developing nations across the globe.

Why? Because education is important.

But it’s not just academic classes that develop students and help them transition into the ‘real world’ — it’s the other parts of school like social interaction and taking part in extracurricular activities like sports, music and drama.

It’s also about getting used to a schedule and having a stable learning environment.

Given the undeniable importance of education and the vital role it plays in the development of kids, one has to ask why the Labrador Straits Academy is not ready for the first day back at school.

What steps did the Western School Board take to ensure construction would be completed on time?

It’s not as though this has come as a surprise or out of the blue, after all, plans have been in the works for several years.

At the end of last year, students bid farewell to Mountain Feild Academy, Our Lady of Labrador and St Paul’s Elementary.

It had been decided that the three aging schools needed too many repairs but, with enrolment figures down, it was more fiscally sound to build a new school. A brand, spanking new building complete with everything a modern education facility needs — gym, the latest technology, music rooms and a trades suite.

L’Anse au Loup was selected as the site best suited for weather and busing considerations. The tenders went out and construction began.

In March the Pen was told the school would open on time, it would be complete in August, in fact.

And so, in June, teachers packed up their things and the school board was left to decide what to do with the vacant buildings.

Now, just a couple of weeks before the start of the new academic year, parents and students are being told to change their plans.

Instead of stepping through the doors of Labrador Straits Academy they are heading to Mountain Feild Academy — which was closed in June for what was assumed would be the final time.

If starting school wasn’t already tough enough, now kids have to contend with this stop-gap measure. In a couple of months time they will be disrupted again when they are forced to pack up all of their belongings and move to the new institution.

Parents have every reason to be upset with the Western School Board, who should have taken measures to ensure this project didn’t fall behind.

Director of the board, Dr Ross Elliott, points out that delays are not uncommon with large projects, and that’s true enough.

But this isn’t a car park, a stadium or an office tower — it’s a school.

It’s where the kids of Southern Labrador should have been headed on their first day to learn and to develop.

It’s kind of important, don’t you think?