Stu­dents and teach­ers will at­tend schools on Car­ni­val Mon­day and Tues­day this year.

Al­though Feb­ru­ary 28, 2022, and March 1, 2022 were both list­ed as of­fi­cial school hol­i­days due to Car­ni­val at the start of the 2021/2022 term, Ed­u­ca­tion Min­is­ter Dr Nyan Gads­by-Dol­ly has in­di­cat­ed class­es will be held as nor­mal.

Con­tact­ed on Sat­ur­day, Gads­by-Dol­ly said fur­ther ad­vice would be is­sued this week.

She ex­plained, “It is usu­al for these cir­cu­lars to be is­sued just ahead of an up­com­ing school year. This cir­cu­lar was is­sued in Ju­ly/Au­gust 2021 as the pro­jec­tions for 2021/22.

“Based on the present cir­cum­stance, there will be nor­mal school on Car­ni­val days. Prin­ci­pals, par­ents, stake­hold­ers and the gen­er­al pub­lic will be so ad­vised ear­ly next week.”

Car­ni­val is a two-day cel­e­bra­tion that is held an­nu­al­ly on the Mon­day and Tues­day pri­or to Ash Wednes­day, which is the be­gin­ning of Lent.

The or­gan­i­sa­tion re­spon­si­ble for host­ing car­ni­val in T&T– the Na­tion­al Car­ni­val Com­mis­sion (NCC)–is at­tempt­ing to in­tro­duce a new con­cept this year at se­lect venues.

How­ev­er, the 2022 pre­sen­ta­tion will not in­clude the tra­di­tion­al pa­rade of the bands.

In a bid to en­sure crowd con­trol mea­sures are in place, the NCC will fea­ture pods at both the North and Grand Stands, which can ac­com­mo­date groups of ei­ther six or nine peo­ple.

The NCC events to be held at the Queen’s Park Sa­van­nah; the Queen’s Hall Gar­den The­atre; and the Na­pari­ma Bowl Am­phithe­ater, are be­ing dubbed a Taste of Car­ni­val.