School repairs are in progress before the start of the new term Monday, September 4.
“There are schools in which they are doing some fairly major repairs and it’s happening as we speak; they expect to have those ready for the opening” said Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Education Board of Management (CEBM) Sharon Mangroo in an interview Monday, August 28.
Major work encompasses plumbing, infrastructure and electrical. Among the schools listed for attention are Mayo RC School, Mayo (security upgrade), and the St Therese RC, Naparima-Mayaro Road (roofing).
The St Rose’s RC School on Henry Street, Port of Spain will not reopen at that site. Mangroo said there could be a delay in opening because a temporary site has to be found to house the school. She reported the CEBM is in talks with the Ministry of Education, adding, “we have some options but we’re not sure which one we will settle on as yet.”
The building housing the Mundo Nuevo RC Primary was condemned last November because of structural damage from heavy rainfall. A paved portion of the school ground sank and cracked, and other cracks were visible from the fence to the school building.
The staff and students were decanted to the Talparo RC, and this arrangement will continue in the new term. Mangroo said, “that is a soil structure problem”.
On the issue of migrant children transitioning into RC schools, she disclosed more than 100 were assessed. Assessments were done on the weekend (August 26–27) on 94 children.
The children are required to have a Student Permit. “The Ministry [of Education] has met with the Ministry of National Security on that matter,” Mangroo said. The child’s immunisation status also has to be in accordance with local requirements.
Speaking at a health and wellness fair hosted by the Health Ministry on Saturday, August 26, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said The University of the West Indies was assessing children to determine readiness for integration and at what level they were at and Student Permits must be obtained through the National Security Ministry for eligible children to be enrolled.
The Minister said her ministry was working to ensure immunisation records are up to date.
In an interview last month, Mangroo disclosed The University of the West Indies had developed an instrument to evaluate the children’s competence in the English language. There is an oral component for young children and written for older ones.
Following assessment, the CEBM submits names to the Education Ministry. The principals of participating schools will be notified of approvals for intake. The CEBM is presently mapping available spaces in classes e.g., Standard One, Standard Two, in relation to where the migrants are living. —LPG