Zena Ramatali, president of the National Parent Teacher Association (TTNPTA) said the reported leak of Secondary Entrance Assesment (SEA) results reported yesterday is a cause for concern. In a telephone interview with the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, Ramatali said she was saddened by the news. "This is horrible. People should not be playing with children's minds and emotions." She said the circulation of a false list could cause unwarranted "emotional imbalance and anxiety" to children and parents. Ramatali added that the appearance of fairness and transparency could be compromised by a leak. She suggested the Ministry of Education hire a security firm to monitor marking and distribution of results. Ramatali said in the past there were rumours of SEA leaks but this year's incident was the worst. She pointed out that the ministry needs tighter security measures in general.
However, Public Service Association (PSA) president Watson Duke said the entire country faces an "administrative management crisis." He referred to Dr Tim Gopeesingh's accusations of a "sinister plot" against the ministry as a "foolish statement" and said too many people lacked a fundamental understanding of confidentiality. "The Government can put systems in place but it is up to the people to maintain them. The country is not understanding being civilised and controlling information. We continue to compromise basic things," Duke said. The T&T Guardian also contacted Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA) president Roustan Job, who initially referred to the incident as an "unfortunate turn of events." Before finishing his statement however, he asked the T&T Guardian to call him back as he was drafting a document. But numerous calls to Job thereafter remained unanswered up to press time.