Roseau Central MP Norris Prevost of the opposition United Workers Party is urging the Dominica Government to effectively tackle “the unemployment, poverty and deteriorating social situation affecting the children of Roseau, many of whom attend the Dominica Grammar School”.
Prevost, in a statement, says “UNICEF’s selection of Dominica, and Roseau to launch The State of the World’s Children Report 2012, and the recent situation at the Dominica Grammar school (DGS) plagued by two incidents of students violently attacking teachers, can be considered The Hand of God, speaking to Government and the wider Dominican Society”.
According to the MP, the “tremors at the DGS are a mild symptom of the festering social situation in the heart of the city of Roseau”.
He has called on the government of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to develop the lands outside the Windsor Park Stadium and around the Grammar School into sporting and recreational facilities for the Grammar School and for the Roseau Community.
“Government must act now, to prevent further eruption in DGS and in the inner Roseau Community.”, the MP has warned.
He has described the DGS grounds as “not a safe place to play” and accuses the government of “badly neglecting the social, recreational and economic needs of the children of the capital”.
According to the UWP parliamentarian, the recently released UNICEF Report Seems to Speak Directly to The Roseau Situation.
“When we take a closer look at Roseau, what do we see? With seven secondary schools, Business Training Center (BTC) and the Dominica State College (DSC) located in the Greater Roseau area, there are some 6000 young persons attending Secondary and tertiary institutions in the urban area”.
“When one adds to this, the number attending primary schools and preschools, the number of children and adolescents attending educational institutions in the Roseau area reach to 10,000, more than half of Dominica’s Schools population,” Prevost said in his statement.
He has reiterated concerns about the construction of the new sports stadium in Roseau disadvantaging youth in the capital.
“Since 2000, when the Windsor Park was taken away from the Roseau Community, and the Grammar School playing field taken away, the Children of Roseau Central and the Children of the Dominica Grammar School, do not have a safe place to play,” the MP said.
The well known businessman is urging the government to make a priority, the development of sporting and recreational facilities for the Grammar School and for the Roseau Community.
Has anyone noticed that the only school children who walk the streets with their trousers way down on their backsides emulating a fashion statement which had it’s Genesis in American jails are students of the once proud DGS.these students should be educated as to how and why the trousers on the hips came about.hsi was a direct result of belts being taken away from the criminals in an effort to prevent the criminals from using belts to commit suicide and as a weapon Misguided students please be informed as to what you are emulating
so many boys from all other schools in the roseau catchment area and around the island have adopted this trend, true it is saddening but you need to shut up and stop saying it is only the DGS students… open your eyes
Mr. Prevost! Who tore down Windsor Park and the DGS ground and convert it to Jurasic Park? Were those involved thinking about the youth of Roseau then? Weren’t you part of that regime?
Hmm, Interesting, isn’t it?
The government really need to make the playing facillities a priority.
So blinking sad.. One of the best high schools on the island turned into a camp like environment gone are the green lawns and orange trees in place for more classrooms… What a shame!!!
Mr. Prevost I went to grammer school while your government was in power. You all took Windsor park and carnival city away from us not to build a stadium but to put Jurassic park. Why you didn’t consider making provisions for the children who lost their playing grounds before you took it from them. Now you want to come and sing for your super and run your mouth. Try again.
Jurassic Park came about in 2000 when the DLP/ DFP coalition refused to continue to build the stadium… even after the UWP had secured the funds and we are still paying for it. Dont come here with that crap- i went to DGS from 1997-2002.
all the energy to build country and community is spent defending positive criticisms from political labeling, when we finally get the point across that a statement is not necessarily political we are too damn tired to then address the core matter that was the cause of all the debate. and you know who are most guilty of this????? those who are older, should be more mature and classy than ME. this goes out to the more “mature” among us..
STOP THE BICKERING AND GET THINGS DONE!!!
oh by they way they are also the ones quick to BLAME younger people when they $%^& up. WELL…….look at what we have to read and listen to and look at….
YOU!!!
People who just chat chat chat politics and get NO results. my god there must be an opposition…even our own minds opposes itself when we think twice about doing something. The number 2 dicates that there will be opposition, and this is good…man is made able by his OPPOSING thumb…… would you have like to have one hand, or one eye in the center of your head??? THINK the people being born now will be inheriting the MESS that you all are hell bent on creating…. find some means to cooperate and lets get on with LIFE.
admin you are so hypocritical. you, and DNO by extension talk so much talk about being “neutral” and “Impartial” yet you continue let your political bias show in the way you moderate comments…..Let me see if I can find mr durand’s personal address so i can copy and paste my comments to him and get a direct opinion from him as to what is SO DEPLORABLE sbout my comment….Are you being “personal ADMIN?????
If so you have still failed to rise above the fray and your human err continues to be a stumbling block not to only you, but to DNO and all its posters on a whole.
thank you for your eyes.
TIP of the volcano? u mean iceberg dont you? lol
@ the MP Prevost,
“According to the UWP parliamentarian, “Since 2000, when the Windsor Park was taken away from the Roseau Community, and the Grammar School playing field taken away, the Children of Roseau Central and the Children of the Dominica Grammar School, do not have a safe place to play,” the MP said.
The government of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to develop the lands outside the Windsor Park Stadium and around the Grammar School into sporting and recreational facilities for the Grammar School and for the Roseau Community.”
Mr. Prevost please Wheel and come again!
Your party the UWP grabbed the Windsor Park from the Roseau Community, but now you are trying to put the load of blames on the Prime Minister? By the way, dose the UWP have any financial plans to help the children of the Dominica Grammar School in any way???
Inquiring minds wants to know!
while you bend over and talk politics out of your other mouth….our children continue to go without a place of recreation….. simply put…
@ Gary
they didn’t respect them..they were afraid of them…i never answered my dad because i was afraid of getting punched and hit with leather belt and electric wires….
you would get beaten if any older person complained on you……..why so you guys keep saying it was better back then when it wasn’t…
please do some calculating a lot of the women in their 70’s had their kid in the early teen years 13,14,15….while the average men had about 5 different baby mama…oh and the women had a lot of different baby daddies back then too…
there was no divorce because women weren’t independent so the men would have illegitimate babies outside of marriage….beat their wives ….stop saying things were better back then….
i guess child abuse was better…..well times are changing so learn to use your words…learn to correct your child without using an electric wire or shaming them….
What is this doing in the Chinese Stadium???
now they see that they have to act now.. they wait for too much things to happen…
I support no political party and so I am impartial. I agree with Mr Prevost that Roseau requires a recreational area – in fact all communities require recreational facilities. Mr Prevost talk of 10,000 persons attending pre school, primary, secondary, and other programmes in Roseau. How many of those actually reside in Roseau? I need the figures. Mr Prevost does not expect, residents from Mahaut, Massacre, Canefield, the Valley etc to come to Roseau to recreate. We cannot only have a playing field for Dominica Grammar School, what about St Mary’s
Academy, Convent High School and Wesley High School?
Secondly, I have not seen the data which would link the unfortunate events at the Grammar School and other schools with lack of recreational facilities. I recall Grammar School having a playing field and at St Mary’s Academy, we had no playing field. We did not get involved in such present day behaviour. Society is to blame for the irresponsible behaviour.
My solution: Any Government must prioritize. Let us all come together to find the solution to provide recreational facility for students attending Roseau schools and after school for the few residents of Roseau. And note, one facility, if well managed and supported, can serve both set of customers.
We have no space to play, We always have to go the the gardens during sports time…
as a born breed roseau’ian at this point i must say he is right,not in the teacher attack part ,if he chose to play pollitics there,that’s on him because that’s what he is,a politician,but growing up in roseau,sports on a whole was the main thing after education,because i can tell you all,i get licks from my mother for running away to go play ball or name it we used to play it,even athletics we used to harrass loblack in techwing to train us,so really on that point my eyes on the primeminister and the sports division to really consider that initiative.
Mr. Prevost my good friend! The UWP was the one who took the Windsor Park..ah magwe sar!
so what? those that negate the responsibility for Roseau residents to have proper sporting facilities? come on the need for recreational facilities is something as a nation we should all unite and rally around period
Let’s be honest. These schools have sports but the kids aren’t interested. They’d rather be playing video games, txting, hanging out at the bus stop & acting like the idiots they see on tv. THe ones that are interested in sports are told by their mothers it will take away from their studies.
i’d really like to know who are those nincompoops that disliking every positive comment eh lol…. even if you say “get better dear, have faith” sumone has to dislike it… smh
Prevost, name one house in Roseau that is more than half a mile from a playing field. Providing wayward juveniles and neglectful parents with excuses for their shortcomings is nothing short of irresponsible.
When we had fewer playgrounds but more responsible parents, young people respected their parents and elders and respected themselves.
It still takes a village to raise a child, not one spoiler mollycodling him/her.
Well said. I have always said that this man is a man of wisdom.Maybe the brightest among the politicians we have on island on island! Had i been living in Roseau my “X” would have been yours for sure.
i hope the government will take note of what mr prevost said and work on it its a great idea.
I have no problem in the DGS having a playing field, bcuz there use to be my playground as well. With dat said i don’t think lack of a playing field is the reason for the behaviour of the DGS students, NON of the other secondary schools in Roseau do not have a playing field, yet still the incident of violence in dos schools are very few. most of the kids live in communities around Roseau where there is a playing field (Newtown, Bathestate, Goodwill, Potterville, Kingshill ). I truly think that we most start with the family if we want to see a better society
One thing I know is that sporting activities definitely keeps young people out of trouble and when played competitively yields structure and dicipline in their life. For some reason athletics and sporting activity has never been given sufficient support by the Government of Dominica. There are so many documented and studied cases that show the lifelong benefits of sports especially self dicipline that is developed by sporting activities. To a certain extent the youths and by extension Dominica is being short changed by the lack of proper sporting and recreational facilities.
I agree with Mr. prevost’s proposal, each day I pass that area I think about how it would be if developed with tennis courts, netball, basketball, street ping pong, and other sports, badminton, you name it. There is enough land to put something worthwhile (sport related) and teh location is ideal. And while we are at it, we need an aquatic center to help develop our swimmers.
prevost is bringing a legitimate concern yet some want to put a political spin on it… smh… no one is blaming any p.m for attacks on the teachers but when things have to be done.. it is the leadership that has to be called upon… i wonder what was the d.l.p voted in for?? it must have been to toast champagnes
regardless of which party you support you must agree there is some truth to his words.. the drug situation is Roseau had greatly increased since the closing of Windsor park . young people have nothing to do now
So according to Mr. Prevost, there is no personal responsibly of the students or their parents?
I am sure that is not what is being proposed by the mp for Roseau. His suggestion will lend itself to enhancing community life and support good parenting and role modeling.
That’s not what the MP said. Please read it again. I love de PM (even in the A.M.) but let’s not mix matters. Souplay, please and thank you!
You are the one saying that. Not the Honourable Gentleman.He makes a lot of sense.
Prevost those children not stupid. they have a brain toknow putting hands on teachers is wrong. pick ur words wisely cause it looks like u blaming the PM for the cause of children attacking the teachers.
Not taking sides here but it seems he’s commenting on actual “problems” being faced and not casting blame for the incidents but stating that they are a small part of a much deeper problem. I have no problem with that as If that is the case I believe he’s right and is finally doing his job by asking the government to take notice and do something about it.
No he is not, he is actually proposing a solution to a bigger problem, one that has been affecting us for years, one that we ignore, and now when things are out of hand we start to freak out.
There are few recreational avenues for our children, and he is merely asking teh PM to consider this. Prevost has alway been very focused on his intentions for Roseau, and they are good intentions, so regardless of colour, the man has a damn good point. DO you know in teh 60’s and 70’s there were more hotels (not necessarily rooms), more pools teh public could access, more tennis courts, more cinemas, more social clubs, more beach activities, we took part in more physical activities that included our youth, there were active boxing clubs, there was Castaways, Dominica club, Arawak, Carib Cinemas, we are worse off now that then. Imagine that!!!!!!
I make to excuses for disagreeing with statements made by UWP members, BUT when a sensible statement is made I have to agree 100%.
Forget politics, Mr Prevost is right. Give the youth somewhere to go/something to do. The land is there, use it.
Who knows, one of them might have hidden talents/abilities and represent Dominica one day.