Maha Sabha: Parents fear for schoolgirls after Bharatt's death

Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) Vijay Maharaj says parents are concerned about the safety of their daughters when schools physically reopen on Monday.

Students have had virtual classes since March, after covid19 reached TT.

On January 28, the Minister of Education announced that students preparing for examinations would be allowed to return to physical classrooms.

Secondary school students in forms four, five, and six preparing for Certificate in Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) will return to school labs to complete their school-based assessments (SBAs) and practicals on Monday.

Maharaj said parents have told principals of the SDMA's five secondary schools, including Lakshmi Girls' Hindu College, that they are more inclined to pick up and drop off their daughters after the discovery of the missing 22-year-old Bharatt.

Bharatt’s decomposing body was found at the foot of a precipice in the Heights of Aripo on Thursday after a six-day search. She was last seen getting into what appeared to be a taxi in Arima, where she worked.

Maharaj said SDMS schools have been arranging for parents to be allowed onto the premises to drop off and pick up their daughters or, in some instances, have security guards escort girls to their vehicles.

Maharaj also responded to a press release from the Ministry of Education on Thursday which said funding for government and government-assisted secondary schools was made available on Tuesday and Thursday. It said the ministry has ensured that funds are supplied for equipment and materials needed to complete practicals and SBAs.

The statement also said schools were contacted on Tuesday and alerted that releases had been received and were being processed.

Maharaj said as of midday Friday, none of the Maha Sabha secondary schools had received any funds.

“We have not received a single cent...Something may come later, who knows, but schools open on Monday (and) we will not refuse to open schools because of that.”

He said repairs had been done internally while students had remote classes, so: “Physically, we are ready (to receive) students.”