St George’s College relocates to UTT Valsayn

Students and teachers of St George’s College, Barataria, will begin classes at UTT Valsayn on Monday, following closure of the school for extensive repairs to the school building.

A release from the Chief Education Officer on October 21 addressed to the principal and teachers said arrangements would be made for the students to occupy the UTT’s Valsayn campus at Spring Village, Valsayn on October 28.

“The arrangements include relocation of furniture, assignment of classes, and relocation of furniture. You are kindly asked to update the parents of these arrangements and to inform them of the date in which their child/children will be required to report to physical classes at this location. Your usual cooperation is anticipated.”

The school’s alumni association began fundraising to assist the school on Tuesday. In a post on its Facebook group it said, “We are working with the principal, staff, the Education Ministry and the Parent-Teacher Student Association (PTSA) to determine what the immediate and longer term needs are and we will keep everyone abreast of details as information comes to hand.

“For the moment, we have been advised that the keys to the temporary location (UTT Valsayn) should be received this week as that location also needed to be prepared to house the staff and students.”

The school closed on October 10 and went to online teaching after the ceiling fell in the hallway at the front of the staff room on October 6 following heavy rains.

On October 9, the school’s PTSA posted a message in their Facebook group from principal Dr Asha Ramraj-Sookdeo saying the school would be closed from October 10 as the Education Ministry continued to assess and rectify the situation with the roof and ceiling infrastructure.

“Please ensure that our students are working constructively and reviewing all the work they have done so far for term.

“We apologise for this inconvenience, however at this point it is unavoidable to ensure the safety of our staff and students.”

A virtual meeting was held by the association on Friday to discuss orientation, transportation arrangements, safety issues, responsible use of the UTT facility, and parents’ concerns.

Efforts to reach Ramraj-Sookdeo or Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly on Friday to ask about the extent of the repairs needed and the possible length of the temporary relocation were not successful.