Senior Reporter
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
While many parents were unaware of the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) advice to schools to take additional precautions against Friday’s heat spell, many were already taking steps to safeguard their children.
The MoE noted the Hot Spell Warning issued by the Meteorological Service and advised parents, teachers, and administrators to take extra precautions to safeguard staff and students from the effects of the high temperatures.
The measures included ensuring students remain hydrated, using shaded outdoor spaces for class time, and administrators adjusting normal school operations where required. It also advised parents and school staff to monitor students’ exposure to direct sunlight and signs of heat-related illness.
Sweat ran down the cheeks of many students as they walked to their parents’ vehicles in South Trinidad yesterday in sweltering heat.
Those at St Paul’s Boys’ Anglican School left around 2 pm with their parents, who attended an early Parent Teachers Association meeting.
Cherry Ann Marshall showed her son Adam’s cooler that she packed with water, juice and ice to ensure he stayed hydrated throughout the day.
Marshall, a nurse, worried about the children, as she said some have health issues the heat can exacerbate, causing headaches and fainting.
Adam, a Standard Three student, suffers from nosebleeds, which are affected by high temperatures.
“My son gets nosebleeds with the heat. That is one of the factors probably contributing to it. I gave him a small fan to put on his table to add to what the classroom already has. I encourage him to drink more water,” Marshall said.
Another parent, Sharon Hazel, said students drink more water because the heat affects their concentration. Hazel said parents were trying to hydrate their children more, and the school is encouraging them to drink sufficient water.
The Standard Five classrooms have air conditioning, with fans in the others.
However, Hazel said parents are not leaving everything for the MoE and are coming together to donate more fans.
“It was tough. The heat was terrible. The parents are thinking about coming together to take certain measures to make their boys, especially those in Standards Four and Five, more comfortable studying because they are prepping for SEA, which is very crucial at this point,” Hazel said.
Denille Bedeau was aware of the heat spell but not the advice from the ministry. Bedeau noted that the past few months were hotter than usual but said her son had not complained too much.
She said her boy stays hydrated, his classroom has a fan, and her home has air-conditioning.
“I have not noticed much change because I press them on staying hydrated and being in a cool place, and do not go out in the sun. The heat is still a bit unbearable at times, but not to the extent where he faints,” Bedeau said.
While the school has not had Physical Education classes this term, parents are concerned about their sons running in the sun but believe teachers will act cautiously.
Contacted on the issue, Catholic School Board of Education CEO Sharon Mangroo said heat was a problem in some Roman Catholic schools. Mangroo said some schools requested fans, and they are providing them. However, she said some were overcrowded and not built to withstand high temperatures. She said adjustments in operations will occur based on the schools’ needs and design.
“Some schools do not even have much space for their children to go outside. School by school, you will have to work out agreements,” Mangroo said.
She added: “Each school has to be investigated on its own merit and make decisions school by school, which is why I think it has to be up to the principal to determine what is necessary, and then the principals will have to get some guidelines.”
Mangroo advised school administrators to form teams comprising parents, teachers and themselves to create a plan to deal with the heat and other contingencies.
