The Ministry of Education will be working over this weekend on addressing problems affecting the Morvant/ Laventille Secondary School so that students may be able to resume classes on Monday. Yolanda Morales-Carvalho, the ministry's media co-ordinator, said a contractor was sent to the school and the ministry hoped work would be completed in time for reopening on Monday. She said the ministry had attempted to address the problem previously but resistance from staff had held it back. The new plan follows a protest in Woodford Square on Wednesday by parents and teachers of the school.
In a telephone interview PNM Member of Parliament for the area, Nileung Hypolite, said he had spoken to the Minister of Education Tim Gopeesingh on Wednesday and was assured a contractor would go to the school to assess and find a solution to the problem. He later confirmed a contractor had in fact gone to the school yesterday and hoped that the school could open on Monday. He said, however, the sewer problem facing it was actually two issues. He said once the first issue - a busted pipe near the principal's office - was fixed students would be able to able to return to school.
He said they might not be completely comfortable when they returned due to the fact that because of the second issue, the run-off of waste into the school, one of the buildings would remain closed off. Hypolite added that even though students had been affected by the issues relating to the sewer problem measures had been put in place for Form Five students to write their exams. He said media reports had claimed students would not be able to sit their exams but he maintained they would be able to do so this term.