Pikangikum school in danger of closure

Health issues have forced teachers to leave the Enoch Birchstick school in Pikangikum First Nation, leaving hundreds of students with the possibility of losing their school year.
“Many teachers have been forced to leave the community as chronic problems with mold and other respiratory irritants in their living quarters have reached a crisis point,” said NAN Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose in a press release.
Waboose said that air quality assessments conducted by an independent consultant has confirmed mold in seven teacher living corridors. Currently, nearly all non-local teachers have left the community leaving less than half the school’s elementary classes running.
“The government of Canada must immediately provide adequate living quarters so that teachers can return to the community and these students can get back to class as soon as possible so they don’t lose the entire school year,” Waboose said. “It is a tragedy that these students are now being denied their basic human and legal right to education because the government can’t provide teachers safe and healthy living conditions for educators.”
The community is currently considering several options to keep the secondary school program open.