TTUTA, Ministry of Education meet after initial consultation boycott

After the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) President Antonia Tekah-De Freitas expressed her disappointment in the ministry, De Freitas met with Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly and Minister in the Ministry of Education Lisa Morris-Julian on Tuesday as previously planned.

In a statement, Gadsby-Dolly said De Freitas indicated in the meeting that the union would require more time to deliberate on the draft guidelines for the reopening of schools in September.

“This would allow the union to meet with their members and make detailed recommendations for the operations of schools when physical reopening takes places,” said the statement.

On Monday, De Freitas along with President of the National Primary Schools Principals Association (NAPSPA) Carlene Hayes announced that they would not be attending a consultation meeting with education stakeholders as they were only given the draft on Friday which, they said, was not enough time to review the document before Monday’s meeting.

De Freitas called the short notice given by the ministry “disrespectful.”

The statement said some initial thoughts were shared with the ministry’s team, with the promise of further elaboration in two weeks.

“The ministry has extended invitations to stakeholders for the meeting to be held on July 16, at which time discussions will continue on the draft guidelines for physical reopening.

“TTUTA has also been invited to be a part of this wider consultation, even as the ministry looks forward to meeting with the union to fully discuss their recommendations for physical reopening.”