Duped by Minister Francis

Minister in the Education Ministry Lovell Francis came in for harsh criticism last Thursday by members of the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) for “mixing up” the day scheduled to meet and talk with frustrated parents and students of the Couva West Secondary School. The school has been closed since October 16 due to several health and safety issues.

Newsday was told that Lovell agreed to meet with all stakeholders but never showed up. Instead, he attended the President’s Medal Award ceremony for SEA and CAPE top achievers.

TTUTA vice-president Kyrla Robinson-Thomas said the priority should have been meeting with displaced students and concerned parents. “It was very sad the minister made a mix-up by the date to give parents and students answers and found his priority at the time was to attend an award ceremony. It’s sad this wasn’t a priority. This was organised days in advance,” Robinson-Thomas said.

Parents are demanding an emergency meeting with Education Minister Anthony Garcia to discuss the status of the school. The absence of the minister caused an uproar on Thursday at the school where parents stormed out when they were told no one from the ministry would not be attending.

As a result of this, the parents have decided to hold protests in front of the school until they get some redress. Last Friday, a protest was held at the school at which, parents said they remain in the dark and are unclear on what is the real issue preventing the school from operating.

Ian King, father of a fourth form student said he is worried his child will be significantly affected by the length of time she has been away from school. “I want the minister to come out from the Red House where he was seen laughing and enjoying himself when they reopened it, come and meet with us to help our children get a proper education so they could have a chance in life.”

Parents say they are willing to assist with any remaining repairs to the school so their children can return for this term. Another parent, Giselle Thomas said, “I went to (Couva) junior secondary and in those days, there was no AC and at one point in time, there was not even windows but it didn’t stop me from learning. Why did they move them from there to a new location just so that they can be home?”

She called on the ministry to allow students to continue classes at the old school until issues at the new location are addressed. “We want the minister to meet with us, to sit with us and tell us what is happening. One minute we (are) hearing its AC problems then the next minute they say it has mold. What is the issue now.”

Last week Wednesday, asked about the status of the school, Minister Garcia last week said he understood the frustration of the parents and students. He said work is being done to resolve the issues and promised that classes will resume as soon as possible.

Calls to both Garcia and Francis on Friday went unanswered, however, Francis on his social media page apologised for “a mix up.” He said, “the error is entirely mine. I got the days confused.”

The new school had been plagued with issues after it was handed over in 2013. The school reportedly faced plumbing issues, mold infestation, sewer and aircondition (AC) problems that led to its closure. Over $6m has been spent on repairs thus far and another $2m is expected to be used to complete all repairs.