The Ministry of Education has decided to hold its hand on the transfer to the Student Support Services of 109 primary school teachers who hold Bachelor of Education degrees with specialisation in special needs.
A source in the ministry confirmed yesterday the ministry had put the initiative on hold temporarily, noting it still had to source replacement teachers and also hold further consultations.
At a news conference last week, the T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) threatened to take legal action against the ministry if the plan to transfer the teachers to the recently launched Special Needs Programme went into effect.
The teachers had received letters notifying them of their transfers from the ministry last week but TTUTA president Davanand Sinanan said not only were they not consulted but even school principals were in the dark.
Yesterday, the ministry source yesterday said there were no problems with the reopening of the new school term. The official said checks were made with all the education district supervisors and there was no negative feedback.
"These district supervisors would have checked with the respective principals and we have gotten absolutely no report regarding concerns from any schools, both public and private," the source said.
There were some initial electrical problems at the Barataria North Secondary School, the source said, but Forms One and Two students who were out of school for a couple of weeks twill return to classes tomorrow.
"They would be using the classrooms of the exiting Form Five students who would be writing exams," the source said.
The source said one of the major concerns was the fact that many schools were installing air conditioning units without consultation with the ministry.
"A lot of the schools are doing private work regarding air conditioning units and that is putting strain on the electrical system. There is no consultation with the ministry and the result would be the school's electrical system being overburdened because there is now an extra load placed on it," the source added, noting the ministry's CEO issued a stern circular about that practice last term.