Classes at St Paul’s set to resume this week

Classes at the St Paul’s Girls’ Anglican School, San Fernando, could resume this week. The confirmation came from Education Ministry officials after parents complained that the ministry was dragging its feet in doing air-quality tests at the school.
Three weeks ago teachers and students walked out of the school, complaining that rat and pigeon droppings were making them sick.

In a telephone interview on Monday, a parent said he met with school officials, who said the school would be closed indefinitely until tests were done by Cariri (Caribbean Industrial Research Institute). “We don’t know what is happening. We are hearing that the ministry don’t have the money to pay for the tests. Some parents are looking to take their children out of that school,” he added.

He said the Standard Five students, who were writing the Secondary Entrance Assessment exam tomorrow, were moved into the nearby boys’ school, but all other students have remained at home. He said arrangements could have been made for students to be placed in other schools while the problem was being sorted out.

“They are moving without haste and is the children’s education they playing with,” the parent complained. When contacted, a senior ministry official said the challenge was not money but tendering for the job to conduct the tests. However, the official added, they selected a contractor and the letter of acceptance was to have been sent out yesterday.

“The work will take about two days. So the school should be cleared by the end of Wednesday,” she added. Teachers have refused to return to work until air-quality tests are done to ensure the school is safe. At least nine teachers and several students fell ill last term because of the pigeon and rat infestation.