Breach of rights at Goodwill High

THE EDITOR: Please publish this open letter to the Minister of Education or is it the Secretary for Education THA. Can you please tell the public to whom the concession to operate the Goodwood High School canteen was given/awarded? This question has arisen in light of a actions against a parlour operator opposite the school. Firstly, the parlour operator got a hand-written letter followed by a type-written one, written under the guise of “To whom it may concern.”

Secondly the students have been told  not to purchase from the parlour on the outside. The children used to purchase from this parlour on mornings when they arrive for school, and on departure from school on evenings. The maxi drivers have been instructed to drive straight into the compound on mornings and drop off the children and the same on evenings to avoid them purchasing from the parlour. This is a breach of the fundamental rights of the children to purchase from whom they want and this must be stopped. Some of the children defy the order particularly in light of the fact that the canteen does not sell the wide variety of items sold externally. A child is debarred from going outside once inside the school compound.

This is abusive to say the least. The MTS Security Guards have orders not to allow the parlour owner to come close to the fence to sell any item to the children. This is absurd because the area external to the fence is “public” domain and the road reserve over which the Security has no jurisdiction. The adjacent primary school has no such restrictions. Someone needs to set the records straight.

DENNIS TAYLOR
Goodwood Tobago