High teacher turnout, fewer pupils on Wednesday

AN overwhelming majority of teachers turned up to schools in Trinidad on Wednesday, after uncertainty the day before about a potential tropical cyclone.

It was expected to hit Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday evening but fortunately veered away.

Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly sent the figures in reply to a text from Newsday. She said the teacher and pupil turnout rates were for both primary and secondary school levels.

The country's primary schools on Wednesday saw some 87 per cent of teachers and 70 per cent of pupils.

Secondary schools had a similar teacher turnout of 80 per cent. However, the turnout of secondary school pupils was notably low, at 43 per cent.

Gadsby-Dolly included a possible explanation: "Secondary students who have completed end-of-term exams may not have attended classes."

A ministry statement on Monday night said schools would be closed on Tuesday except for those secondary school pupils sitting CAPE exams on that day.

But it added, "Unless further advised by a subsequent circular memorandum, all schools will resume full operations on Wednesday, June 29."

The Tobago House of Assembly kept schools on the island closed on Wednesday.