TTUTA boss: Infrastructure woes continue at St George’s College, Mt Hope Secondary

INFRASTRUCTURAL issues continue to plague St George’s College and Mt Hope Secondary, according to TTUTA president Martin Lum Kin in a conversation with Newsday on September 23.

Lum Kin told Newsday there was evidence of rat infestations, a lack of ventilation and a need for professional cleaning and safety issues. These issues have prompted teachers to continue to wear red in protest in one school and an overall refusal to work in the other.

At St George’s, Lum Kin said the situation remains the same in terms of infrastructure.

“The labs are not used at the moment, because it has not been repaired to a standard for occupation. In one of the chemistry labs, there were signs of what appears to be mercury on the ground from one of the thermometers. They cannot fully confirm that as yet but they have asked administration to get in touch with the relevant authority to clean up, because as you would appreciate, mercury poses health threats to whoever is in close contact or in contact with it.”

He said while there were no reports of flooding since September 17, any downpour is now potentially a threat to the school.

Lum Kin also shared reports of infestations of rats and mosquitoes. He said there continues to be mosquitoes on the compound because some areas were not cleaned properly. Newsday also received videos of a rat running around the school and another of a dead rat on the compound.

“There was also a report of a rodent running over a teacher’s foot,” Lum Kin said.

He said while all teachers reported for duty, they continue to wear red and exercise their right to have lunch outside the compound. The majority of teachers will continue this until the issues at the school are addressed.

At Mt Hope Secondary, the majority of teachers are refusing to work because infrastructural issues have become safety risks.

“A piece of concrete fell from one of the buildings. Thankfully, it did not injure anyone on the plant, but the staff is extremely concerned that it can reoccur and anyone could be injured,” Lum Kin said.

“A teacher got an electrical shock when she turned on the lights in the staff room. That’s another reason for the refusal to work.”

At the end of August, the Ministry of Education officially reopened St George’s College after spending $10 million on repairs to the roof. For almost two years, the school operated from the UTT campus in Valsayn.

However, at the re-opening, members of the school’s parent, teacher and student association (PTSA), after a tour of the school, complained of significant issues including dust-covered classrooms, labs and classes not ready for use and rat droppings seen in one of the classrooms. Less than 48 hours before the official opening of the school year on September 2, a video circulated on social media showing workers feverishly cleaning classes and installing desks.

When the term opened, only forms one and two were able to attend the school.

A letter from St George East educational district school supervisor Sajeveen Persad said students in all forms were expected to attend the school on September 4, but TTUTA, on September 2, raised several issues with the condition of the school, including exposed electrical panels, the technical vocational block being without electricity, labs not prepared for students and teachers, leaky AC units in the administration office and the staff room being without seats.

Last week, heavy rains caused flooding in the school. Videos circulating on social media showed students climbing on chairs and tables to avoid the water. Despite the million-dollar repair job on the ceiling, a teacher, who did not want to be named, said there were issues with the roof in the hall near the principal’s office. The teacher also blamed the flooding on poor drainage near the hall.

At Mt Hope Secondary, similar issues were raised, prompting a protest by TTUTA on September 2.

Teachers and the union complained of risks of electric shock as there was a leak in the roof near a set of exposed wires in the quadrangle and prefab areas in the school. They also said there were parts of the school such as the Industrial Arts block that were inaccessible. Lum Kin also complained of limited classroom space, insufficient toilets for staff and students, shaky stairways, poor sanitary conditions, and slip and fall hazards because of leaks in the roof throughout the compound.

In an earlier Newsday report, Lum Kin said a prohibition notice was recently served by the OSH Agency because of concerns over exposed wires and leaks near light fixtures.