Three weeks into the new school term and students and staff of the Aranguez North Secondary School are being forced to remain at home because of the construction of a new school on the compound. In a telephone interview, a staff member said students have not attended classes for the term. She said the Ministry of Education was in the process of building a new school on the compound. The staff member said last term, teachers were forced to teach in air-conditioned containers called "igloos" but construction work has since led to the removal of the igloos. "The space they are asking us to work in would not be able to accommodate even half of the students that attend the school," she said.
She said teachers held a meeting at the start of the new school term and made the decision not to work under the stifling and unacceptable conditions being forced on them. Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh said after making several calls to the Educational Facilities Company Limited (EFCL) he understood that students were supposed to move into the new area after EFCL blockaded part of the compound. He said this has not been done. In addition Gopeesingh said that the contractor walked off the job due to non-payment issues. He said the ministry is currently working with EFCL to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.