Government must determine whether it has the human and financial resources to add another first-year class at West End Primary -- as requested by parents.

Education Minister Tim Smith stressed this yesterday after meeting with West End Primary principal Livingston Tuzo.

He was responding to concerns raised most recently by parents last month.

After learning that there would only be one first-year class at the school, parents claimed that their children's education was being threatened by a lack of small classes and attention.

And they vowed that they would do whatever it took to have the situation rectified in the new school year.

"There was not one parent in support of that (one first-year class),'' concerned mother Mary Jane Lambert said. "So where some kids are staying back, instead of having 25 students they will have 27 in one class.

"We also know that people have been calling the school and are still trying to get their children into West End. Now they will have to go as far as Purvis.

"If you live in Boaz Island and your young one is going to Purvis, that's just not right.

"This is a crucial year. They are just starting.'' Mrs. Lambert also noted that the drastic change in class size could have a negative impact on children. And she suggested that the school should be allowed to have two first-year classes of 15 to 18 students.

Two years ago West End parents presented a petition, with some 800 signatures to then Education Minister Jerome Dill, rejecting the Ministry's plan to make the school one-form entry.

At that time the Ministry promised to return the school to its two-form entry state the next year and carry out an Island-wide review of primary school classroom sizes.

But during the past school year West End had two first-year classes, one second-year class, one year-three class, and two year-four classes.

After meeting with West End PTA president Sybilla Ross and other parents this month, Mr. Smith agreed to visit the school and get to the bottom of the problem.

Yesterday he told The Royal Gazette : "I met with the principal, Mr. Tuzo.

The purpose was to hear what his desires were. I was able to achieve that, assess the physical ability of the school to accommodate a second stream of students, and visit a primary one class.'' "I was very impressed with the school -- the behaviour of the children, the colourful classrooms, and the teachers,'' he added. "That was an easy task today.

"Now I have to look at our human resources and financial resources to see whether there can be a second stream.'' Mr. Smith said he has asked Chief Education Officer Joseph Christopher, who accompanied him to the school, to prepare a summary of West End's requirements.

"Once he submits that I can discuss it with our financial managers and decide if the money will be taken from our current budget or if I need to go back to Cabinet,'' he explained.

"The physical plant of the school can accommodate another class.

"If human resources and financial resources are available, it can be done within a week. But I will have to consult with the school.'' "The news may not be entirely in favour of what the parents have asked for,'' Mr. Smith conceded. "They wanted immediate implementation of a second class.

But we have to consider whether this would be wise in the middle of a school term.''