Parents protest as furniture ‘disappears’ from Mayaro Secondary

Protests erupted at Mayaro Secondary School yesterday as parents, staff, and students expressed frustration over the lack of furniture, which forced students to sit outside or stand in classrooms.

One parent Azanna Philbert said classes cannot go on without proper furniture.

“Imagine this school has no furniture at all. If you look, you will see the front of the school is falling apart. This school is in a mess. Children are standing up all day on their feet taking notes. The teachers have no chairs or desks to sit on,” she said.

Student prefect Isaiah Moonilal described his first day back at school as “horrible.”

“For the first two periods, we waited for a classroom with no furniture. We had to sit on the ground and try to unlock the old door. The bathrooms are not in good condition. My peers had to wait outside in the hot sun for half an hour, waiting for a proper classroom,” he explained.

The student also raised concerns about health hazards.

“There is bush around the school where people could get sick. Dengue is going around, and there was even a snake in the school,” he explained.

Parent Roland James, whose daughter has exams in seven months, said he too was worried.

“The seating facilities are bad. Sea blast has taken over, and everything is rusty. The toilets have no doors, and the washrooms are in poor condition. This is not the environment where students can prepare for their exams,” James said.

Chairman of the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation Raymond Cozier toured the school. He was alarmed by what he saw.

“There is loose galvanize, and if we have high winds, the galvanize can blow and damage students. The pavements are broken up. The washroom situation is alarming. The male students have 18 washrooms, and only eight are working; some have no doors for privacy. One end of the school has collapsed due to erosion,” he revealed.

MP for Mayaro Rushton Paray was also shocked.

“These conditions are unacceptable and undermine the right of our children to a safe and conducive learning environment. It is inconceivable that in this day and age, our children are being subjected to such adverse conditions,” he added.

Acting Principal Roger Morales said a meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss the problems.

“Parents have a right to protest when they feel the quality of education provided is not up to standard. We are working with the ministry to resolve this in the shortest duration possible,” Morales said.

TTUTA president Martin Lum Kin said the furniture crisis at Mayaro Secondary is not an isolated one.

Warning that the situation was continuing to affect the teaching and learning process, Lum Kin said TTUTA fully supports the parents in their protest. He called for urgent intervention by the Education Ministry.

Minister launches probe

Contacted for comment, Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said investigations are ongoing to determine how the school ended up with no furniture when it was in operation two months ago.

“The Ministry of Education has been made aware of a protest by parents of the Mayaro Secondary School today. While the need for schools to upgrade and replace school furniture is acknowledged, for a school that was in full operation two months ago to require 190 chairs and tables immediately requires deeper investigation,” she said.

“The school supervisor has been assigned this task,” the minister added.

Gadsby-Dolly said there is a plan to provide furniture to schools in need.

“While the procurement is being done, the MOE has collaborated with its Nursing Department and the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of T&T to source surplus furniture, which will be used to alleviate critical challenges,” the minister added.

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