This country's education system is in need of a properly operated preventive maintenance programme and it is time that the Ministry of Education, through its special purpose state enterprise, Education Facilities Company Limited (EFCL), make that a major priority.
The issue of school repairs is often politicised but the truth is that successive governments have failed to properly address this problem.
The current wave of protests over dilapidated schools, with fingers being pointed and blame thrown in all directions, highlights the existence of major problems with school maintenance. However, practical, long-term solutions to this perennial problem seem to continually elude the decision-makers in the education sector.
It is hard to recall even a single school term in the past decade or two when there has not been closure of schools and disruption of classes because of major issues with buildings.
Creating and maintaining clean productive learning environments throughout the public education system is not a small or simple undertaking. The Ministry of Education is responsible for operating and maintaining approximately 481 primary schools and 133 secondary schools.
Some of these institutions are several decades old and now accommodate large student populations and facilities well beyond their original capacity.
Add to that the fact that all the aspirations of various political administrations to reform and modernise the education system have never adequately addressed physical infrastructure and the extent of the challenge is clear.
Problems regularly crop up with school buildings because of the absence of a reliable routine planned maintenance programme or a scheduled preventive maintenance plan.
T&T's education system is in dire need of a programme of continued repair work as assessment of conditions to achieve a significant reduction of overall costs, fewer disruptions of classes and more stable conditions for learning.
Preventive maintenance will make it easier to identify potential issues early, before they become expensive, time-consuming and hazardous to students and staff.
It is estimated that equipment life can be extended by 25 per cent and overall costs will be eight times less than is currently spent on unexpected emergency maintenance.
The benefits to students and teachers go well beyond more teaching time without disruption and displacement. School environments are healthier when they are kept clean and well maintained.
The unsanitary conditions seen in and around so many primary and secondary schools attract insects and vermin. Irritants and allergens found in dust and dirt can negatively affect student health and performance in schools.
Indoor air pollutants and allergens associated with poor cleaning practices contribute to increased respiratory and asthma symptoms among children and adults.
It goes without saying, therefore, that regular and thorough cleaning and building maintenance will prevent pest problems, minimize irritants and allergens and create healthier learning and working environments for children and staff
As well, there will be less equipment downtime, reduction in the number of major repairs, as well as better conservation of assets and increased life expectancy of assets, eliminating premature replacement of machinery and equipment.
Such a system should be part of the mandate of the EFCL which currently provides project management services for the School Construction Programme and District Education Offices of the Ministry of Education. School repairs and maintenance have been part of the agency's mandate since 2008 but it is clear that this is not being done as efficiently and effectively as it can be.
That much is obvious, given all the shortcomings with the current Vacation Repair Programme.
A restructuring of the EFCL and implementation of programmes that ensure all school buildings, regardless of their age or location, are kept in optimum condition, will eliminate many of the problems currently affecting the education sector.