Garcia: Denominational boards must play greater role

Addressing the Trinidad & Tobago Unified Teachers Association’s (TTUTA) 37th annual conference of delegates at Paria Suites, La Romaine Garcia said the greater role of the denominational boards in the education sector had arisen out of the national consultation on education.

“I know sometimes there is the feeling among some persons, including some officers of TTUTA, that the role that the church play be de-merged,” Garcia said. “But arising out of the consultations on education, it was decided we will cement the role of the church in education because we believe that the church has been playing a significant and important role in education.

We have decided that we would continue to forge a relationship with our church.

“There are challenges and I have been speaking publicly about some of those challenges. and the denominational schools that are owned by the board, they have been doing a fantastic job in our education system but I am not always satisfied with the role of the Boards because if you claim ownership of the schools, you cannot stand aside your responsibility and what I have noticed over the last few months is that where schools are experiencing difficulties, the Boards seem to demit to the teachers alone to voice their views, expecting the Ministry of Education to pick up the slack in all aspects of its operation,” he said.

Garcia continued: “And that is not right, if you own the schools, you have a responsibility to ensure that those schools operate at the best of its ability including the infrastructural component of our schools.” Speaking to reporters afterwards, Garcia, asked whether denominational boards would now be asked to fund their own infrastructural works, said government had “undertaken the responsibility to fund 100 percent the refurbishing, the construction and the repairs of schools.” “And I have no intention of changing that but what I am saying is that with authority comes responsibility and once you own the schools is that you cannot just sit back and say leave it up to the government. You must play your part also and this is what I am calling for by the boards I want to ensure they join hands with the ministry of education in all aspects of their schools,” he added.

He said Cabinet had agreed to the formulation of a White Paper on Education which had arisen from the national consultation on education and would be laid in Parliament.

And referring to recent videos of school violence involving school girls at the El Dorado West Secondary and the Arima Secondary school, Garcia once again reassured teachers that the Ministry would not “tolerate any indiscipline” in the nation’s schools.

“I am not going to tolerate that type of behaviour. I have ordered a thorough investigation into that.

The incident was never brought to the attention of the ministry and it was an attempt to cover up the matter. We will not tolerate any indiscipline,’ he said, adding, “Our school should be safe places for our students and teachers.

The Ministry will do whatever it takes to ensure that the environment is safe.” He however noted that the issue of teachers leaving the classrooms was of concern to the Ministry and which had to be discussed with the union.

“I know that there are some health and safety issues which we cannot turn our backs on and I know there is the question of OSH where health and safety issues seem to compromise the ability of teachers to perform to the best of their ability, I am aware of all those things but to me in some instances, some teachers in some schools use every opportunity to leave the classroom and that is something I want to talk with the union about so we can minimise those disruptions,” he said.

Garcia also noted that the Ministry had suspended the National tests for one year as it had “morphed into something that was undesirable” and had become “almost another SE A exam.”