Permell new TTUTA president

CLYDE PERMELL has been elected president of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA). Permell’s TNT team also won the other five posts contested and will form the new executive for the next three years. TNT’s campaign was based on one of “continuity,” and it has promised to “begin work immediately” on the foundation built over the last 25 years. TNT boasted that its candidates had all served at various levels in the association and were therefore familiar with the workings of TTUTA. Preliminary results from TTUTA’s Election Commission stated that of the 10,700 teachers registered to vote, just under 8,000 voted. Permell received 4,777 votes, while rival Wendy Augustus got 2,373 and Amral Hosein 558.

With 4,666 votes, Allison Sarjeant is the new first vice president and Allan Noreiga, who got 4,918 votes, is second vice president. Keith Sankar, who polled 4,747, is the new third vice president and David Lewis is the new general secretary, with 5,293 votes. Komaldi Chotai is the new treasurer after she received 4,749 votes. The commission declared the results official yesterday, since there were no objections. The new executive will be installed next Friday. Permell was a previous TTUTA president from 1990-1992, a former president of the Caribbean Union of Teachers (1995-1999), and has been president of  the National Primary Schools Principals Association from 2000 to present. He also served as a member of the National Advisory Council of Education and the National Textbook Committee. He is currently principal of Arima Centenary Government Primary School. When Newsday visited the school yesterday, staff expressed regret that Permell may leave the teaching service to take up his TTUTA post.