School sewers are becoming clogged because there is no toilet paper available for students to use. In desperation, many are forced to clean themselves with pieces of clothing or sheets of paper which, when flushed, clogs the sewer triggering further expense for the Ministry of Education.
During an interview on Friday, T&T Unified Teachers Association president Lynsley Doodhai said instead of spending millions to clean out clogged sewers, the ministry should provide direct funding to school principals so they could provide toilet paper for students.
He said since March 2017, the ministry has not been providing funding to principals of denominational primary schools. The funds are used to purchase toilet paper, stationery and cleaning supplies.
Doodhai said valuable teaching time is being wasted because teachers are now raising funds during school time to run their schools. He said although the ministry promised to release funds, many schools are still without the basic necessities.
Last week, the Association of Denominational Boards (ADB) wrote to the ministry complaining about the lack of funding. Doodhai said the situation had reached such a critical stage that some principals were going to the business community hoping to get stocks. Others have been asking parents to contribute.
“Prior to 2012, the Ministry of Education would supply markers, stationery, toilet paper and other cleaning materials to principals, but in 2012, instead of supplying them with items, a decision was taken to give monies to the principals. Under this administration, in March 2017 all funds were stopped,” Doodhai said.
He said a meeting with the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the ministry last week discussed the correlation between clogged sewers and lack of funding.
“We found that because of the unavailability of toilet paper, students may use their clothing and paper from books, which contributes to the clogging of toilets,” he said.
Adding primary schools get $107 per child per term, he said, “It is not a large sum. It is a small pittance compared to what is paid when you have to unclog or replace a broken sewer.”
Last week, ADB president Satnayan Maharaj said primary schools were hit hard. He said secondary schools have also faced serious cash flow problems because the ministry has failed to make releases on time.
Maharaj said many schools are also without teachers as the Ministry of Education failed to make appointments based on recommendations of the boards.
“Assistant Teachers Primary have to be interviewed by the Ministry of Education but cannot be appointed because the Teaching Service Commission has not ratified the results of the interviews. The bureaucratic nightmare has left many classes without teachers. Both the Ministry of Education and Teaching Service Commission must resolve this situation immediately,” Maharaj said.
A source at the ministry said schools had started getting direct funding to purchase supplies.