Kerr calls for speedy address to Tobago's issues

TT Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) Tobago Officer, Orlando Kerr, is calling on the Division of Education to urgently address the matters affecting teachers and students.

One such matter highlighted by Kerr, in an interview with Newsday on Thursday, was the issue of no air-condition units in the science labs of the Signal Hill Secondary School.

With that he now fears that if not addressed in a speedy manner, students may fail their CSEC science exams since, to date, they have been unable to submit their science school-based assessments.

“The science labs cannot be utilised because of the excessive heat, and the chemicals that pose a threat to safety for both the students and the teachers,” he said.

This was only one of the issues raised by teachers and parents at a lunchtime protest in November.

“We were given the assurance by authorities of the division that the situation would be dealt with by the end of November.

“We are now in January 2019, but yet the situation remains the same,” he said

Kerr said he again met with officials of the division again on Wednesday, and among the things discussed was the slippery tiles and flooding woes in the classrooms at the Scarborough RC primary school, whenever it rains.

“As we speak, they have not completed the work on the flooding issues, they are presently installing awnings at the side of the building. These are issues that have been existing for a very long time and we would really like to see that they get treated with in a comprehensive manner.”

Meanwhile, attempts to contact Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles, who is also Secretary of Education, proved futile as calls to his phone went unanswered.