Senior Reporter
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
Students of the Toco Secondary School were sent back home yesterday, after the school was closed following an overnight arson attack.
The drama room was destroyed in the blaze and other classrooms were impacted.
The incident prompted Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Martin Lum Kin to call for swift action by police.
In a voice note, Lum Kin said the intruders broke into the school’s cafeteria, first stealing some snacks. The arsonists then attempted to burn down the Special Purpose Building of the school.
“The drama room was destroyed by fire. Thankfully, the other rooms which housed the art room, music, computer, and most of the technical vocational rooms, were not destroyed,” he said.
Lum Kin said TTUTA condemned the arson attack on “in the strongest possible terms”, noting it was also an attack on the Toco community.
As a result of the arson attack, classes at the school were suspended even before the school day began, with the students showing up for classes being sent back home.
Fire officers and the police stayed on the scene for several hours conducting investigations.
Classes at the school have also been suspended for the rest of the week.
Lum Kin also called for quick repairs.
“TTUTA calls on the Trinidad and Tobago Police and Fire Services to conduct a speedy investigation leading to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of this ghastly act. TTUTA also calls on the Ministry of Education to immediately effect repairs and or construction to minimise the disruption of classes affected,” he said.
Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly yesterday said the school will reopen next Monday. She said this will give the police and fire officers enough time to do their investigations.
The disruption at Toco Secondary came a week after the Gloster Lodge Moravian Primary School was closed for a week, after a man was murdered outside its gate.
The killing of Amoa Howe led police to meet with principals of schools in east Port-of-Spain to discuss how best the children and teachers at the schools can be made to feel safer.
Police patrols outside primary schools in the Port-of-Spain district have since been implemented.