Registration resumes for Venezuelan children to register for school

THE registration for Venezuelan children that started on June 25 for admission into schools at the start of the academic school year last week has resumed.

A media statement from the Education Ministry on September 9 said the initiative complied with Trinidad and Tobago’s immigration regulations.

It resumed on September 10 and ends on October 3.

As in the previous registration, the initiative applies to Venezuelan migrants under 18 whose parents registered with the National Security Ministry in 2019 and continue to register yearly under the Migrant Registration Framework (MRF).

The statement said parents must visit the education district office closest to where they live on Tuesdays and Thursdays only to complete and sign the application form.

The form is titled Application for admission of migrants of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela into Schools.

The ministry called on parents to walk with five documents (originals and copies) to complete the process.

The documents include the minister’s permit under the MRF and Migrant Registration Card, and children without the permit are ineligible for school entry.

The parents are also asked to walk with a certified translation of the child’s birth certificate, the child’s immunisation record, a passport-sized photo of the child and proof of address.

The statement said a letter from the landlord with a copy of a recent utility bill as verification can be used as proof of address.

On August 19, 23 migrant children received their exemption letters to attend school at the Education Ministry’s building at St Vincent Street in Port of Spain.

At that ceremony, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said the work of the ministries of national security and the attorney general allowed the registration of migrant children.

The district offices /registration centres are:

• North Eastern Education District Office at Savi Street, Boodooville, Sangre Grande

• St George East Education District at 2A Eastern Main Road, Tunapuna

• Port of Spain and Environs Education District Office at Jerningham Avenue, Port of Spain

• Caroni Education District Office at Old Couva West Secondary School, Balisier Street, Couva

• Victoria Education District Office and St Patrick Education District Office are at Nos. 16 - 22 Sutton Street, San Fernando

• South Eastern Education District Office at No. 87 High Street, Rio Claro

• Division of Education, Research and Technology at Dutch Fort Plaza, Dutch Fort, Scarborough, Tobago