Teachers, students back to school

TEACHERS and students were at school today in the aftermath of heavy rain and flooding over the weekend.

TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Lynsley Doodhai said, “There are generally more teachers and students out today than yesterday.”

But while most teachers were at school, Doodhai said, “Some teachers who work in the Mayaro area cannot get to school, as they have to pass along the Manzanilla/Mayaro Road.”

Doodhai also said, “Some teachers whose houses were flooded are still engaged in cleaning-up operations. Some others who are not affected are assisting family and friends with clean-up operations.”

Yesterday, TTUTA second vice-president Kerla Robertson said schools in parts of central and southern Trinidad were unaffected by flooding but in some cases were dismissed early because the number of students was low. She said this was because some parents were uncertain about the weather and whether their children would face difficulty getting home from school.

The Education Ministry said activities were normal at schools not affected by the floods and bad weather. Senior officials said efforts are underway to restore normality at schools affected by the weather or used as emergency shelters.

Nine schools were used as emergency shelters and 22 schools were closed because of the weather. Ministry staff said classes were back to normal at the Durham Village SDMS Primary School, Todds Road RC Primary School Caroni SDMS Primary School and the La Horquetta North Government Primary School.

Blanchisseuse Secondary School and Vishnu Boys' Hindu College are expected to reopen today. One official said the Fire Service was power-washing the premises at Vishnu Boys'.

The officials thanked the Fire Service, the National Maintenance Training and Security Company and other stakeholders for their ongoing efforts to restore normality to schools.