No holiday today for Tobago students

On the contrary, school students in Trinidad will be enjoying a “holiday” today courtesy the Government in light of the country hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which opens this morning in Port-of-Spain. However, it would be business as usual for their counterparts in Tobago.

According to the Tobago House of Assembly’s (THA) Education Division, all schools in Tobago would be open as usual today. (Education is one of the portfolios for which the THA has responsibility in Tobago as provided for under the “Fifth Schedule” contained in the THA Act No 40 of 1996).

Government on Wednesday announced the “school holiday” due to considerations with respect to the CHOGM opening.

A THA Education Division official, however, pointed out that this does not apply to Tobago. Meanwhile, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who, along with his wife Queen Elizabeth II, is on a State Visit to this country coinciding with their attendance at CHOGM, will pay a very brief visit to Tobago today.

Prince Philip will not be accompanied by the Queen. He is scheduled to arrive in Tobago by helicopter touching down at the Shaw Park recreation ground, in lower Scarborough, just about midday.

Shortly afterwards, the Duke will be the special guest of honour at a reception at the Blue Haven Hotel, in Bacolet. The reception is being jointly hosted by THA Chief Secretary Orville London and British High Commissioner Eric Jenkinson. As part of security arrangements, in this regard, the Old Market Car Park, uptown Scarborough, will be closed to the general public between 6 am to 4 pm.

The car park would be used as the base for a shuttle service to the hotel in order to effectively manage the flow of traffic to the venue, while hotel guests would also be parked there (at the car park).

Meantime, with respect to the operations of the Tobago arm of the Judiciary, it was announced that there would be no sitting of the Magistrates’ Court at Scarborough, or Roxborough, in east Tobago, today. The Clerk of the Peace at the Scarborough Magistracy has advised that persons with matters listed for hearing today should appear in the Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday (November 30).