Teachers are raising money themselves for a summer school programme for children with learning difficulties after Government cut its budget.

Staff at Victor Scott Primary School, which has already been affected by a spate of shootings, have learned they may not be able to run their $60,000 summer programme, which helps 45 children with learning difficulties prepare for the upcoming school year.

It also benefits children, aged 7 to 11, with emotional and behavioural problems.

Staff at the school met on Monday to work out how they could seek to raise the money themselves to run the programme, from July 5 to August 13.

Though many could not talk openly, one staff member said: "Looking at the climate we are living in right now, we don't want to see the students in an unstructured environment and we know that a lot of the parents will not be able to afford a lot of the private camps being offered."

The staff member added: "And we just want to give these students a chance to catch up and keep the gains they have made throughout the school year."

The staff member would not comment on how much money was cut.

A teacher involved with the summer camp asked not to be named, but said the programme would cost parents $30 a week.

This would pay for school supplies needed, she said, but even with additional monies from private sponsors, was nowhere near what they need to fully compensate the staff.

"We believe in putting children first and while it would be nice to be compensated for our programmes, our main goal is to provide something constructive for our children," the teacher said.

"We are just surrounded by the burden of violence. The community that our school is based in has had a lot of violent acts, of course, and we would rather (have) them in a structured environment where they can gain skills academically and socially".

Sheelagh Cooper, of the Coalition for the Protection of Children, is also calling on the public to help keep the summer programme running.

She said it acted as a "bridge" for many students in need of extra learning and emotional support and was concerned what could happen to the children if it was axed.

Mrs. Cooper said: "The children in that school have been tormented over and over again this year and many of them have difficulties. We know that because we provide breakfast every morning for children there.

"I think it will be such a tragedy to pull the funding for that school and I am hopeful the Government will rethink that decision. The programme costs slightly more than $60,000 for the whole summer and that represents one trip abroad for Government officials or maybe less than that even.

"For a cost-cutting measure, I just think it is the wrong place to cut for these children. I understand we need to cut costs, but this is not where we do it."

If the Government is really interested in improving the standards of public education, Mrs. Cooper added, it would be "short sighted" for them to cut back on funding in this area. "These are the kids that need the help the most," she said.

The Royal Gazette asked a Government spokesperson to comment on how much funding was being cut overall and how many summer school programmes would be affected.

These questions were not answered by press time, but the Ministry of Education released a statement which said: "In an effort to reduce spending, the Department of Education has limited the summer programmes on offer.

"The Department will only run a programme for students who need assistance in the transition from M3 to S1."

HOW TO HELP

To donate, or learn how you can support these teachers' effort, call Victor Scott Primary on 292-1787.

Has your school been affected by budget cuts? If so, email news@royalgazette.bm