PTA wants proof of govt spending at Pt Fortin East Sec

PRESIDENT of the PTA of the Point Fortin East Secondary School, Robertha St Hillaire is questioning claims from the Education Ministry that work was done at the school to the tune of $700,000. “We want proof that the $700,000 was spent at the school.”

Following protest action by the PTA at the school compound on Tuesday, the Minister in the Ministry of Education, Lovell Francis visited the school on that very day. Francis toured the school with the PTA and members of staff.

Further to that visit, the Education Ministry, in a press release issued on Wednesday, said it had not ignored calls from parents for infrastructural repairs at the school. The release said records from the Education Facilities Planning and Procurement Division (EFPPD) indicated the ministry spent $700,000 to carry-out repairs at the institution in July/August 2019 under the Vacation Repairs Programme.

To that St Hillaire said, “We are not seeing the work outlined by the minister's office. A lot of what they are saying in terms of repairs was never done.”

The PTA, she said, is calling for a breakdown of the work done so that they can see exactly where the money was spent.

The ministry said the projects undertaken and completed were the installation of additional electrical outlets in the library and staff room, sewer repairs, replacement of ceilings in Blocks P, M and in the library. There was also replacement of guttering from Blocks C to Q and refurbishment of staff washrooms.

Additionally, emergency repairs were completed at the school during the period December 4 to 9, 2019. That work included the cleaning and desludging of the sewer system, replacement of sewer pumps, repairs to the control panel and the repair and replacement of gas lines and gas taps.

According to the ministry, after the repairs were completed, inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) visited the school and granted the necessary approvals declaring the school safe for occupation by staff and students.

St Hillaire insisted the school was not safe since a fire broke out in the administrative block because of faulty electrical work on Monday. The school is almost 60 years old and is in need of repairs, she added, hence the protest on Tuesday.

The ministry said, despite the financial challenges experienced nationally, it planned to spend a further $700,000 plus on an additional seven projects at the school. Work will be done to the ceiling; electrical work to Block B; refurbishment of students’washrooms; repairs to staff room staircase; replacement to louvres in Block J; overhaul of auditorium stage and the air conditioning in room C of the prefabricated building.

The ministry has engaged the National Maintenance Training and Security Company (MTS) to prepare the necessary scope of works and estimates for those works. Once approved by the ministry, the MTS will put the projects out for tender.

In response to that, St Hillaire said, “We will be waiting until Monday to see whether the Ministry starts repairs. If not, the members of the PTA will be meeting to discuss further protest action.”