MP challenges the assessment relayed by Minister Gumbs, saying he witnessed concrete fall and children move through an area marked with caution tape.
PHILIPSBURG:--- MP Egbert Doran challenged the government’s response to damaged school walls during the ECYS budget debate, telling Parliament that he had personally witnessed a piece of concrete fall and feared that children remained exposed to danger.
His intervention followed Minister Melissa Gumbs’s responses on school conditions, repair plans and funding constraints.
Doran disputed the assessment he said the Minister had provided—that identified concrete cracks posed no structural risk—and called for an immediate inspection and stronger measures to prevent children from entering the affected area.
The supplied exchange did not identify the school by name. Doran’s account is an allegation based on his stated observations; the exchange does not contain an independent engineering assessment.
MP Says Caution Tape Is Not Protecting Children
Doran said he visited the school that morning to read to students, his second such visit this month.
During the earlier visit, he said he saw a piece of concrete fall.
Although yellow tape marked the affected area, he told Parliament that children ran through and between it.
“There’s yellow tape around it, and in my humble opinion, the yellow tape doesn’t even make a difference,” he said.
Doran argued that the situation required urgent attention rather than waiting for an injury to force a response.
He asked whether Gumbs had personally seen the damage and urged her to meet with VROMI personnel to ensure the area was fully cordoned off.
He also offered to share photographs.
Doran Challenges Repair Timeline
In recounting the Minister’s earlier answer, Doran said repairs were targeted for completion before the end of 2026 and that the Division of Public Education was pursuing an emergency tender for the cracks and other minor repairs.
He questioned whether that response adequately addressed what he had observed.
His remarks distinguish two issues that require clear answers: the building’s structural condition and the immediate risk posed by falling material.
The supplied exchange ends without a further response from Gumbs to Doran’s intervention. It therefore does not establish whether an additional inspection, new safety measure or revised repair timetable was subsequently ordered.
Basic Learning Materials Also Raised
Doran also called for a simpler mechanism that would allow businesses and residents to donate toward public school needs.
He said people were willing to assist but did not know the appropriate channels, and that lengthy procedures could discourage potential donors.
Referring to a school where he had recently read to students, he claimed that more than 60% of the class lacked basic learning materials. He presented that figure as his account, rather than a Ministry-wide finding.
He proposed a straightforward bank-transfer arrangement through an appropriate entity so donors could support public schools.
He argued that financial constraints should prompt the government to facilitate assistance while maintaining the necessary oversight.
Minister Says Prioritization Cannot Eliminate Funding Shortages
Earlier in the responses, Gumbs acknowledged that much of ECYS expenditure is fixed and that careful prioritization alone cannot eliminate identified shortages.
She said public education is prioritizing urgent repairs and pursuing structural assessments to produce a costed maintenance plan.
The Minister also identified delays in releasing vendor payments as an issue that must be addressed to support timely work.
Where available funding cannot meet schools’ needs, she said, the Ministry must identify the shortfalls and seek additional resources through the budget process.
Safety Questions Require a Documented Response
Doran’s intervention raises an immediate accountability question: what inspection findings support the assessment of the damaged area, and what measures will keep children away from any falling material while repairs are pending?
His proposal for easier donations addresses a separate funding problem. Contributions may help schools obtain resources, but the government still needs to establish and communicate the safety measures appropriate to the reported damage.
The next response must clarify the condition of the affected school, the protective action taken, and the timetable for repairs—before the concern becomes an incident.
