Garcia: Contracts for social workers to be renewed soon

“Fifty nine positions of school social workers will expire during April to May 2017.

Once approval is granted by Cabinet, the ministry will renew contracts for officers with favourable appraisals and the remaining vacancies will be advertised.” He said on Wednesday that this would occur “in about a month’s time”.

And in response to a question posed by Naparima MP Rodney Charles, Garcia said one guidance officer is assigned to cover three primary schools while each secondary school is served by one.

He added, “In schools which are deemed high-risk, the ratio of guidance officers is oneto- 200 students, while in primary schools the ratio is one-to-400.

“At the Learning Enhancement Centres there is one guidance officer to 15 students.” Garcia later clarified to Newsday that the guidance officer serving a given secondary school is not the same person serving three primary schools.