Portable classrooms attest to overcrowding in the Surrey School Distirct.
Most students and parents would agree that schools in the City of Surrey is becoming more crowded as each year passes by. Use of portable classrooms and extended schedules has become a popular choice and a temporary solution for many schools in the area.
Lack of funding is the key problem as the economy grows.
Tamanwis Secondary has adapted a linear schedule system, which means some students have to arrive by 8 a.m. for classes due to the lack of space and time. Others start at 8:40 a.m.
An unidentified Tamanwis student says, “This is ridiculous! We have to show up for advanced class early in the morning. We are forced to study in the hallways on certain days and only five minutes to switch classes is insane because the school is so overcrowded.”
According to a 1995 study by Rivera-Batiz and Marti, “Overcrowded schools in New York City found that students in such schools scored significantly lower on both mathematics and reading exams than did similar students in underutilized schools. In addition, when asked, students and teachers in overcrowded schools agreed that overcrowding negatively affected both classroom activities and instructional techniques.”
Tamanwis school has six portables at the moment and more are rumoured to be placed by next year.
The overcrowding has led to parents protesting at Earl Marriot Secondary.
According to cbc.ca, “The growing community has 7,000 students housed in 265 portables. On Monday, parents gathered at Earl Marriott Secondary, which is 500 students over capacity, to urge families to contact their MLAs and the premier.” Lack of funding prevents construction of a new building. This school is also looking at developing a linear schedule to accommodate the number of students. This would mean some students must attend classes in early mornings and others might have to stay late evenings to get into classes.
Overall, most schools in popular areas have an issue of classroom space and the number of applicants. Surrey School District has seen a gradual increase of applicants every years since the early 2000s. But the problem is that funding has not gone up each year.
There is no immediate solution, but students and teachers continue to protest to create awareness and hope for a better education system.
