Education Minister: No 'unsafe' schools reopened

EDUCATION Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly says the ministry has no report which alleges that 20 schools were reopened for the current school term in unsafe and unsuitable conditions for students and teachers.

Speaking in the Senate on November 26, Gadsby-Dolly referred to a claim by the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) that it had such a report.

"The Ministry of Education is not in possession of same and cannot comment on its accuracy."

Gadsby-Dolly said while schools might need to have their facilities upgraded from time to time and there might be the need for emergency work in some cases, the ministry "operates no school which it deems unsafe for occupation."

Should issues such as pest infestation or issues with structural integrity arise, she continued, the ministry's facilities, planning and procurement division goes to the National Maintenance and Training Security Company (MTS) to deal with them.

Gadsby-Dolly said if schools needed to be closed or partially closed to address such matters, it was done as standard practice.

If total decanting of students and teachers from a school is required, she said, "That is arranged until the structure is safely rebuilt, and in this regard, the Ministry of Education routinely liaises with the Ministry of Works and Transport and, where required, public health officials and OSHA, as required in dealing with all matters for health and safety."

Opposition Senator Wade Mark asked about reports of pest infestation in a school in Preysal.

Gadsby-Dolly said, "Schools all over the nation, from time to time, experience challenges.

"Once there is an issue at a school – pigeon infestation, or you might get rodent infestation – these matters are dealt with, with urgency, by the ministry."

Referring to the school Mark mentioned, Gadsby-Dolly said, "That school has been dealt with."

She added the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation partnered with the ministry to resolve that matter.