Minister: All schools to open Monday

EDUCATION Minister Anthony Garcia is confident that all schools in the country will open for the start of the new academic year on Monday. He expressed this confidence at a news conference at the ministry’s office in Port of Spain yesterday.

Garcia said every year, the ministry was asked whether all schools would open on time. He added that every year, the ministry said it was doing everything possible for all schools to open on time and “this year, the situation is no different.”

The total cost to repair schools over the vacation period was $105 million.

Out of 194 school repair projects the ministry put in place over the vacation period, Garcia said 75 per cent of them had been successfully completed and the remaining 25 per cent would be finished “as the term moves along.”

He assured reporters, “This should not retard the opening of schools.” Garcia said repairs at five schools were posing problems for the ministry. But he was confident that if those problems were not resolved over the weekend, they would be by the end of next week.

These are the Fishing Pond Presbyterian, Woodbrook Secondary, Warrenville Presbyterian, Aranguez North and Couva West Secondary Schools.

Fishing Pond, Garcia continued, has incomplete civil works. He said work was ongoing at the school with the drains to be covered today. The school should open on Monday. Garcia said Woodbrook Secondary had some roof leaks and flooring problems but the principal had indicated that would not prevent the school from opening on Monday.

There is a sewer issue at Warrenville Presbyterian. Garcia said the sceptic tanks would be emptied as a temporary solution over the weekend and a new system would be installed. Aranguez North and Couva West have water leaks. In the former, Garcia said leaks had been happening almost daily. He added that a contractor was assessing the problem. Garcia explained that if any of those schools did not open on Monday, it was “not because of not trying.”

Explaining that MTS was working hard to ensure all schools open on time, Garcia said there was no truth to a report that the company was not providing toilet paper and soap to schools. He said that was not part of MTS’ remit.

Chief Education Officer Harilal Seecharan said the ministry would be reviewing the primary school curriculum during the course of the new academic year. He also said there would be a special focus on special education students and improving the capability of the ministry’s student support division.

Seecharan said the ministry was pleased with CAPE and CSEC results last year. Garcia and Seecharan said efforts were being made to ensure that CXC online testing could take place in TT in 2021. While CXC has indicated online testing will begin next year, Garcia reminded reporters Cabinet informed CXC our schools will not be ready for e-testing in 2020. He explained that Government did not want “to subject our students to e-testing” when neither students nor teachers are properly prepared.”

Seecharan also said a school climate survey is being done to determine the factors that affect teaching and learning in the country’s schools. He acknowledged that crime could have an impact on teaching and learning in schools in crime hotspot areas.