kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
Like most schools across T&T, there was a low turnout of teachers and students in South Trinidad for the first day of the 2022/23 academic year. However, education boards expect almost all teachers and students to return to class today, after teachers adhered to the T&T Unified Teachers Association’s (TTUTA) call to reflect yesterday.Movements were scarce at the San Fernando Boys’ RC and several other Roman Catholic schools around the city yesterday.
Catholic Education Board of Management CEO Sharon Mangroo told Guardian Media this was the case across the country. She believes the absenteeism of both teachers and students were responses to TTUTA’s call to stay home, as both occurrences coincided.
Mucurapo Girls’ RC School and Sacred Heart Girls’ RC School, Port-of-Spain, were among the few with a high turnout.
“There was generally a very, very low turnout. It was lower than 50 per cent in the majority of schools. We have one or two individual schools where the teacher turnout was recorded as high, but that was just one or two,” Mangroo said.
She expects that after teachers looked after their interest yesterday, they will return today to tend to the children’s welfare with the same vigour. She said the board was in touch with principals and teachers over the July/August break and acknowledged their hard work in preparation for the new academic year.
“I know that our principals and teachers have the welfare of the students at heart, and I am confident it will continue through the rest of the term. I also know that they do have to look after themselves.”
There was a similar situation among Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association (ASJA) schools.
ASJA President Zainool Sarafat said primary school attendance was significantly below average among teachers and students.
Only the Charlieville ASJA Primary School in Chaguanas had a decent turnout of 92 per cent attendance among students and 100 per cent for teachers. However, attendance was better at the secondary schools.
The situation was better among Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) schools, where there was a 78 per cent teacher attendance and 65 per cent of students showed up for classes. In one school, 457 of 598 students showed up.
Among SDMS primary schools, 60 per cent of teachers reported for duty while 45 per cent of students stayed away.
The Presbyterian Primary School Board of Education saw teacher absenteeism of 80 per cent and 91 per cent of students. There was no school at Grant Memorial Presbyterian School, where repairs continued yesterday. It will reopen tomorrow. Princes Town Presbyterian Primary Schools # 1 and 2 were dismissed early due to electrical issues.
