No word on state of schools

President of the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) Antonia DeFreitas has said the Ministry of Education has said nothing on the readiness of schools to reopen on January 6. Saying problems of safety and infrastructure continue to plague some schools, she said TUTTA will be putting the issues on the forefront in the new year.

“We have not received indications from the Ministry of Education as to whether any works would have been done on any of the schools over the three-week (Christmas) period.”

She said the infrastructural integrity of schools is an integral part of school safety and called on the ministry to develop a comprehensive plan which must cover all school facilities.

“Safety is ensuring that students and teachers are in good working conditions and schools are properly maintained.” In addtion, she said, “We want to engage stakeholders in terms of treating with mental health and stress issues within schools.”

Last Friday DeFreitas met with acting Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Daryl Dindial to discuss settling outstanding wage negotiations for 2014-2017

While she could not provide a figure for the outstanding sums owed to teachers, she said TUTTA will continue to pursue the issue aggressively.

The upgrade of people who graduated from teacher training programmes, such as those at the University of the Southern Caribbean, which was on the agenda of last Friday’s meeting, will continue to be a focus area for TUTTA. She said teachers, parents and students should know that TUTTA continues to be on standby to assist where needed.