Teachers protest shift system at Princes Town Presbyterian schools

The teachers’ action resulted in close to one thousand students being left unsupervised.

For the past 21 months, after Presbyterian One’s compound was condemned, students have been sharing a space with Presbyterian Two students on the latter’s compound. To accommodate the increased numbers, standards one through three students of both schools were placed on a shift system.

Explaining the reason for yesterday’s boycott, TTUTA President Lynsley Doodhai said “In the shift system, students cannot get the full amount of contact time. There are problems in terms of cramped space.

Right now the sewer system is full and last week EFCL recommended that it be emptied. There is a constant odour emanating from the toilet area.” Teachers, Doodhai said, felt overwhelmed by the increased numbers and students also enjoy less extra-curricular activities as rooms previously used for art and music classes have been converted to classrooms.

Teachers were to return to school this morning, but TTUTA is not ruling out future action if demands for a pre-fabricated building are not met.

Doodhai said the Ministry of Education had agreed to construct pre-fabricated buildings to house Presbyterian One students but could not do so without permission from the Presbyterian Primary School Board. The Board, he said, did not give permission and therefore was ultimately responsible for teachers staying home. Presbyterian One PTA President Nola Ramjohn- Karim also blamed the Board.

Asked what reason the Board had for not giving this permission, Ramjohn- Karim said “All of us would like to know.” Board Chairman Carlyle Mulchan, on the other hand, said the claim was “erroneous and very mischievous.” “I don’t know who is playing the politics but we have agreed to demolish the old school and build a new one,” said Mulchan. “The Board has given permission to the ministry to do whatever it is the ministry deems fit and that has been made in writing to the ministry. I cannot understand why Nola would say that because she was in the meeting with the ministry also.” “We made the decision and wrote the ministry and said go ahead and build a new school. If the ministry is not able” due to there being a long list of schools in need of ministry attention, said Mulchan, “the next thing in line is getting rid of the shift system because that is what everyone is concerned about.”