Aitutaki schools aim to reopen next week

Schools in Aitutaki are aiming to at least be partially up and running again by next Monday.

Education secretary Sharyn Paio says currently director of operations Ina Herrmann and guidance counselor Sarah Milne are in Aitutaki working with principals and teachers, helping support their efforts to get schools operational again.

The SDA School has been operating since Monday from the principal’s home and a shed after the school in Ureia was almost completely devastated by Cyclone Pat last week.

“They are all in good spirits and we have been working with the United Nations to provide them with basic resources which we hope to have dispatched to them as soon as possible,” says Paio.

Yesterday director of finance and planning Anthony Turua and physical education and health advisor Katie Rogers returned to visit Aitutaki to complete a resource inventory to be able to advise parties wanting to assist with such items as desks, chairs, blackboards, minor equipment, and stationery.

“We will then develop a medium and long term plan for the future. Our priority right now is to ensure the safety of the children and staff – both physical and psychological and try and regain as much normality as possible,” says Paio.

She says she was informed yesterday by Herrmann that attempts are being made to clear debris at schools so they can start up next week.

“The NZ Defence Force as been helping, repairing roofing, and chopping trees. Ina says they have been tremendous. They (through NZAID) have offered to do the immediate work required on the schools to get them operational and we are extremely grateful to them for that.”

New roofing iron for at least one school in Aitutaki has reportedly been ordered from Cook Islands Steel by the Cook Islands Investment Corporation as rebuilding work continues with the support of NZAID.

Paio says considerable support will be required and the ministry will endeavour to do all it can to retain students and their families on Aitutaki and ensure that once again the children will have the chance to get a first class education.