Senior Reporter
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) Martin Lum Kin said the reopening of the school term was a smooth one.
In an audio recording sent to the media yesterday, Lum Kin said there were no reports of any school not reopening.
On Sunday, Lum Kin said TTUTA was not given any updates regarding school repairs over the Easter vacation period and the union would liaise with district officials to get reports of possible challenges faced by teachers and students at the country’s schools.
But yesterday, while Lum Kin there were no hiccups, he said TTUTA was concerned that some schools still have infrastructural and occupational safety and health issues.
He reiterated that the Aranguez North Secondary School is one such school.
“The school continues to have no access to Block A as well as the air condition units have not been serviced or repaired,” he said.
He added that Princes Town Presbyterian One and Two share the same compound and are on a shift system which he said remains a concern to TUTTA and parents alike. This is an issue for the past seven years he said.
“St Dominic’s Penal RC Primary School continues to occupy the Penal Community Centre. The Rousillac Hindu School also continues to occupy the community centre,” Lum Kin explained.
A few months ago there were heated protests by parents over the alleged failure of officials to find a suitable location to accommodate the classes at the school.
Lum Kin added that Poole RC and St Therese RC school also share a compound. He said there are also several outstanding issues with “many other schools.”
The TTUTA president detailed that a lack of furniture remains an issue at schools for over a decade with teachers resorting to repairing the furniture themselves. He said this is an OSH issue and called on the Education Ministry to meet with TTUTA to address the various concerns.
Efforts to contact Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly yesterday were unsuccessful.