Felicity school gets 24-hour security

PARENTS of students and teachers at the Felicity Hindu School can breathe a sigh of relief as Education Minister Hazel Manning has pledged that a 24-hour security system will be introduced at the school.

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), Trevor Oliver told Newsday outside the Education Ministry’s Office on Hayes Street, St Clair on Friday that the decision was made during a two-hour meeting with the Minister. Earlier in the week, it was reported that 24-hour security would not be implemented at the school, as the school was not in a “high-risk area.” However, following the meeting Oliver said Manning agreed to the suggestion as parents were protesting the lack of security at the school, and because petty thieves were continuously breaking into the school, as well as vandalising the property. Parents of students  school protested outside the school on Thursday, complaining that the Ministry was not doing enough,  and threatened to keep their children away until something was done about increasing the security at the school. He revealed that teacher migration was among the issues discussed, as the minister was seeking feedback for a Caribbean Commonwealth Educa-tion Ministers meeting to be held in Scotland later this year.Oliver said teachers must be treated to “healthy remuneration,” as well as “good fringe benefits.” Adding that a “stable relationship must be developed so that we do not have this thing recurring” as regards the non-payment of fees to private primary and secondary Schools, Oliver said “the Minister says that plans are afoot to have discussions” with the relevant parties.