London: Enough school places in Tobago

THERE ARE more than enough places at Government schools in Tobago, THA Chief Secretary Orville London said Thursday.

He was responding to complaints from school principals over the THA’s decision to stop paying to place SEA students in private secondary schools. For the past several years, SEA students have been routinely placed at the private schools with the THA footing the bill. This was due to a shortage of secondary school places on the island. However, with the construction of three new Government secondary schools, two of which are to come on stream in September, there are now more school places than students, according to London. However the principals are upset over the move which they say can lead to the closure of these private institutions. They are seeking an urgent meeting with London.

Among other things, they have called for “the placement of one class of Form One students (about 40 students) at each school (St Joseph’s Convent, Harmon’s SDA, Elizabeth’s College) for the next three years.” London said he would meet with the principals, but their position is untenable. “That request will be very difficult to justify,” he told Newsday.  The THA Chief Secretary said the number of First Form places available at Government and Government-assisted secondary schools was 1,050, while only 915 students would be entering school. “It means therefore even utilising the present stock, there is in fact likely to be a surplus of places. It will therefore be very irresponsible and difficult to justify, for us to go and pay for 120 of those students to go into private secondary school when we have a surplus of places for them in the Government and Government-assisted schools. “What we are hoping therefore is to be able to sit down with the private secondary schools and see how they can adjust their focus so that they can continue contributing to the educational thrust, without in any way having to utilise monies that would have normally been paid for places in secondary schools.” London added: “We do not want to see the dearth of private secondary schools in Tobago but we are faced with a reality. “We are dealing with taxpayers’ money and I cannot see how we can justify paying money for students to go into private secondary schools when we have more than enough places in the public secondary schools.”