TTUTA, Minority knock THA over school repairs

THE TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) is dissatisfied with the July/August school repair programme in Tobago after the THA Division of Education, Research and Technology said all schools were ready for the new academic year.

Speaking with Newsday on September 3, TTUTA Tobago officer Bradon Roberts said this was not a situation with which TTUTA could be satisfied.

On September 1, THA Education Secretary Zorisha Hackett, in a press release from the division, announced that all Tobago schools were ready after a $20 million injection into the school repair programme.

The release said the first phase of the programme addressed immediate concerns, while phase two would handle less critical repairs during the term.

Although some work will continue, the division said all 57 schools would open and it would keep monitoring and addressing any remaining concerns.

Roberts said he believes something needs to be done about the communication and preparation between the secretary and those in the field.

He said work on the schools should start by the end of July at the latest.

“With that, we should be finished by mid-August so that the full cleaning of schools could be done.”

He said in April TTUTA and principals submitted a list of issues, as requested by the division, and the hope was that this list would be a blueprint.

“The schools I’ve visited, there are teachers who would have done quite a bit of cleaning. Some teachers were over the weekend doing some cleaning and painting, because those things weren’t done by the division. The cleaning of the school compound also was not done in large numbers.

"So I’m not understanding what bureaucracy exists that prevents the division every year from doing a better job in terms of time management.”

Minority Leader Kelvon Morris is concerned that work has to continue throughout the term. He deemed it unacceptable.

“This secretary is clearly playing smart with foolishness. If the secretary and the division, along with all stakeholders, had done what was required in the July/August vacation, ensuring that the scope of works were done, the resources were properly allocated, then we would not be in this period where you are hearing – I am hearing even as we speak that contracts are being given out for school repairs.

"There are schools where no work was done. So therefore the question has to be what is the priority of this division and what is the priority of this administration.”

Morris sharply criticised Hackett.

“This secretary needs to do better. This secretary needs to stop making excuses, because you cannot in one breath say you’re prioritising only health and safety issues while in the same vein (you) say that you are delaying other critical works that have to be done to make our children comfortable.

"We cannot compromise on education, we cannot compromise on our children’s future. And therefore I’m quite disappointed.”