Parents protest lack of furniture at Mayaro Secondary

  • Sep, Wed, 2024

RADHICA DE SILVA
Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

With no furniture in their classrooms, Mayaro Secondary School students have had to sit outside or stand while taking notes. This situation sparked protests outside the school by parents, staff, and students on Wednesday.

Parent Azanna Philbert told Guardian Media that classes cannot continue without proper furniture. “Imagine this school has no furniture at all. The front of the school is falling apart. This school is a mess. Children are standing all day while taking notes. The teachers have no chairs or desks to sit on,” she said. Philbert noted that the lack of chairs and desks severely impacts the learning environment and mentioned other infrastructural concerns at the school.

TTUTA President Martin Lum Kin responded immediately, stating that the furniture crisis at Mayaro Secondary is not isolated and has affected schools in other areas as well. He highlighted that this issue has persisted for years due to insufficient furniture replenishment. Lum Kin warned that the situation continues to disrupt the teaching and learning process. He expressed full support for the parents’ protest and called for urgent intervention by the Ministry to ensure proper curriculum delivery.

Minister of Education Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, when contacted, said investigations are ongoing to determine how the school ended up with no furniture when it was operational two months ago. “The Ministry of Education has been made aware of the protest by Mayaro Secondary School parents. While we recognise the need to upgrade and replace school furniture, the immediate need for 190 chairs and tables at a school that was in full operation two months ago requires deeper investigation,” she said. 

She added, “The school supervisor has been assigned this task.” The Minister also noted that supplemental funding for furniture purchase was made available during the vacation period. “While procurement is underway, the MOE has collaborated with its Nursing Department and the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of T&T to source surplus furniture to address critical needs,” the Minister added.

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