Belmont Boys spinning top in mud

ALTHOUGH the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) has shut the Belmont Boys’ RC School down, the Education Ministry is saying it has not closed the school and school supervisors are investigating. The dilapidated Belmont school has been deemed unsafe because of huge cracks along the walls, falling pillars and cramped classrooms. The school was built in 1888. Last week, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) met to discuss the matter and on Thursday TTUTA officials declared that the school was unsafe for occupation, and as such the school should be closed indefinitely.

Parents agreed to withdraw their chicken with the exception of the Standard Five students, who will be writing the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exams next Thursday. When Newsday visited the school yesterday, the students were going through practice tests in their classroom, which is in an annex on the school’s compound. Officials said they received no word from the ministry on when or where students be accommodated. When Newsday contacted the ministry, Communications Specialist Mervyn critchlow said he was unaware of the school’s closure, pointing out that the ministry did not close the school. He said school supervisors would investigate the matter. 

TTUTA President Clyde Permell told Newsday that ministry officials “must be sleeping” if they were not aware the union had closed the school. He reiterated that the union had advised teachers that there was a question of health and safety in continuing to attend classes, and parents had agreed to withdraw their children from the school. Permell confirmed the school will remain closed indefinitely, saying it was the responsibility of the ministry to find alternative accommodation for the students. Earlier this week, Education Minister Hazel Manning assured Newsday that once the new Education Facility Company Ltd begins operations, the school repair and building programme would move full speed ahead.