Minister asked to deliver on new Ramai Trace Hindu school

To highlight their protest to the national community, the parents and students gathered at Ramai Trace Junction and not at the school which is located a short distance . Armed with placards with the messages: “We need a school”; “We don’t want Christmas treats”; “We want our school”; “Mr Minister Schools are more Important than Stadiums”; “Rowley 0%- Kamla 100%” ; and, “They discriminating - They hesitating”, the group attempted to block the flow of traffic on the busy thoroughfare but the police arrived and they retreated to the pavement.

President of the Parent/ Teachers Association Indar Jairaj said parents can no longer wait for the completion of the school.

“The school is ninety percent completed.

All we need is the cable for connecting the electricity and toilet facilities and furniture,” Jairaj said, adding that students were relocated from the school two and a half years ago following major landslips that affected the physical structure of the old school. The population of the school stands at 275 students with 20 teachers.

Surujbally Persad, a parent, said the students’ education is at stake and Government should now step in and look at what is happening at Ramai Trace. “First, the students were sent to Monkey Town Government Primary School and we encountered problems with the sewer system. The students were relocated once more and sent to the Hanuman Milan Temple on Penal Rock Road,” Persad said, adding that parents are now encountering additional costs to send their children to this location which is six miles away from Ramai Trace.

Jairaj says the Hanuman Milan Temple is no longer suitable for the children as there are just four toilets. “The classrooms are cramped as there is not enough space at this location.” He noted ten students got ill with the virus and it is spreading as more and more students are reporting sick each day.

Jairaj called on Minister of Education Anthony Garcia to look into this matter as the children are not comfortable with the present arrangement.

“The Minister should take notice of these issues affecting the children of this country,” Jairaj said. He said protest action will continue.