[UPDATED] Arima Hindu Primary students still in limbo

While several options presented for the relocation of the Arima Hindu Primary School, the question still remains: when will construction of a new school resume on the property the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha bought several years ago?

Hundreds of parents attended a town meeting at the Arima Town Hall on Monday evening to discuss the relocation of the school after a fatal shooting a stone’s throw from the site, which also contains three houses.

There has always been concern for the safety of the children and staff because of the location of the school on Temple Street, a known drug den.

Businessman Raj Jado, who represented the SDMS, offered free land for a new building and another businessman, Krishna Maharaj, offered a warehouse which could be refurbished to house students. A source who was at the meeting said the University of TT was not an option, but Arima West Government and Arima New Government Schools were. The source said Arima New Government was best suited to house the 200 students.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia, who attended the meeting, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks.

The source said the school has been re-opened since the shooting and parents have been sending their children to school, but a source said the teachers were not going to classes. Garcia stressed that he had not called for the school to be closed.

The source said another businessman volunteered to start a committee to get private security, but he wanted Garcia to pay for it.
“Which he can’t. That will start a whole new trend. The police explained they cannot put a police post in the school and that is what people seem to want.

“What I don’t understand is that these men are some of the wealthiest people in Arima, who could come together and work this out.

“I want the children to move. They are primary school students and they deserve a better place.”
General secretary of the SDMS Satnarayan Maharaj said while the SDMA was looking at alternative accommodation, he was still hoping that Government would complete the school that had already been started.

“You see, it is difficult to take one school and transplant it into another school. It stands to lose its character. That school was the first SDMS school to be opened, in 1952, so it has developed its own kind of character as a school. To take that and put it with another school, it may cause conflict. We are trying to avoid that. We have the lands right there, and it wouldn’t take that many millions to complete. It can be done on a reduced scale.”

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

While several options presented for the relocation of the Arima Hindu Primary School, the question still remains: when will construction of a new school resume on the property the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha purchased several years ago?

Hundreds of parents attended a town meeting at the Arima Town Hall on Monday evening to discuss the relocation of the school after a fatal shooting a stone's throw from the site, which also contains three houses.

There has always been concern for the safety of the children and staff because of the location of the school on Temple Street, a known drug den.

Businessman Raj Jado, who represented the SDMS, offered free land for a new building and another businessman, Balliram Maharaj, offered a warehouse which could be refurbished to house students.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia, who attended the meeting, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks.

The school has been re-opened and parents have been sending their children to school, but a source said the teachers were not going to classes.