Monday January 15th: A Time of Freedom and Festivity
January 15, 2024
Change of location but classes continue at St Rose’s
January 15, 2024
Repairs have been completed on the roof of the Community Centre, Penal where pupils of the St Dominic’s RC School are to resume having classes.
In an update today Monday, January 15, Sharon Mangroo, the Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Education Board of Management stated the principal was advised to “move the furniture back from Rock River Hindu into the Community Centre because there is no danger of the ceiling falling again since the leaks have been taken care of.”
The St Dominics’s pupils were being temporarily accommodated at the primary school of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) while repairs are done on the Centre.
“It is expected that by Tuesday all of the students will be back at the Community Centre, that is, all of the Standards, with the Infants up at the church hall,” Mangroo said.
She thanked the SDMS for readily agreeing to share their space with the pupils of the Catholic school.
Contacted about the news Sharon Baptiste, president of the Parent Teacher Council (PTC) of St Dominic’s Primary said a meeting will be held with parents this evening.
A compromise for the housing of pupils for classes averted further protest by the PTC last week.
Vicar for Communications Fr Robert Christo, the parish priest of St Dominic’s RC church, Penal said a “very fruitful” stakeholders meeting took place at the office of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation on Tuesday, January 9. Agreement was reached for work to be undertaken at the Penal Community Centre which is expected to be completed on or before February 9.
The meeting was attended by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education (MoE), health and safety MoE, school principal and representatives of the CEBM and Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association and project manager for the repairs. Baptiste was updated on the discussions.
Fr Christo said a “scope of work” for repairs was prepared for the Community Centre with input from teachers and others. “That looks good, work has begun, and the final, latest date is Friday, February 9. They claim it should come in a week before, but we have put that date.”
While repairs are conducted at the Centre, he said the Standards Three, Four and Five will be housed at the Penal Rock Hindu School. This is expected to start on Monday, January 15, and the Standard One and Two at a training facility of the TT Fire Service in Penal which is “close by”. The Infants classes will continue at the parish hall.
“All are on board hoping we will monitor this project for the two-three week period until February 9,” Fr Christo said. He hoped for the “collaborative spirit” with the stakeholders to continue for a new St Dominic’s RC school. He added, “we know there are some limitations, but we want to continue the collaborative and conversational strategies we have started.”
While attempts were made to quell the protests, it continued Thursday led by residents. However, a few parents were involved. Baptiste explained the PTC was not involved.
She was not at Tuesday’s meeting but said parents are still not satisfied. They wanted to keep their children at home during repairs and send them to school when completed. Baptiste disclosed parents want to know that a new school will be constructed and would like this in writing.
“So, they know it is not just they fix the community centre, and they will send our children back there and the children will remain there a next four to five years again,” she said. The parents are sceptical because of past promises that never materialised. She mentioned repairs that were to be done in six months on the original school.
“Just last year the last set of students who entered the old school they wrote SEA (Secondary Entrance Assessment) last year and left the school; it is like history for some parents, repeating itself,” Baptiste stated.
Mangroo said the Ministry will rebuild a new school, but this was not listed yet for work.
She stated “I do not believe their resources allow them to start rebuilding as yet, they will advise us as soon as they can but, we will be very, very happy for a generous donor that will assist us in putting a temporary on that site; we will need to stabilise the slope and put a structure so all the children can be housed together.”
Since the reopening of schools in the new term the parents have been protesting. Students have been occupying the Community Centre since February 2017. The relocation occurred after an earthquake in 2016 caused structural damage and land slippage.
The parents were upset repairs were not done on the Centre during the Christmas break 2023. Baptiste, in an interview with the Trinidad Guardian on January 5, complained that the toilets at the Centre overflowed, there were cracked tiles, plumbing and electrical issues. She said 170 children were at the Community Centre and 66 of the infant classes at the parish hall.
