What appear to be a major shake-up at the Education Facilities Company (EFCL), in charge of maintenance and repairs at schools, has forced the closure of yet another school.
Some 547 pupils of the Arouca Government Primary School has not been to school for almost one month now and may be home until next year because of a major electrical problem at the institution.
Angry parents, led to believe the EFCL would begin the project to rewire the school yesterday, staged a protest when they saw no sign of any work being started.
Armed guards are now reportedly securing documents at the EFCL office in Maraval which points to alleged corruption surrounding the award of contracts.
The discovery of the documents was made one day after the new board appointed by the PNM Government after its September 7 general election win suspended EFCL chief executive officer Kiran Shah and chief operating officer Sharma Maharaj over claims of impropriety.
Parents believe that necessary repairs at their children’s schools are not being done by the EFCL because of the current problems at the state entity.
Grandparent Joan Wharwood said parents were not being told anything about what was going on and when their children would return to school.
“There is a big notice board at the front of the school but the PTA did not put up a sign. They did not even call any of the parents,” she said.
Debbie Carr, whose son, Ancil, is in Standard Four, added: “Getting feedback is almost impossible.”
Wharwood said students were sent home one day after fire broke out in a part of the school building because of an electrical problem.
PTA president, Roxanne Sampson said she had not been getting any information about when the problem would be fixed.
“I am getting the runaround from the EFCL. I also went to the Education Ministry office in Tunapuna this morning but did not get to see anyone,” she added
She said the electrical problem was so bad it was only by the hand of God that the entire school was not burnt down.
Sampson added: “The EFCL visited the school and said it was a minor problem and will take two days to repair. Then the T&T Electricity Commission visited the school and took the metre and the EFCL told us it will take about two weeks to rewire the school.
“Between the tender going out and selecting a contractor, we don’t know how long it will take.
“Our children may not return to school until next year,” she added. She said Standard Five students were being accommodated at D’Abadie Government Primary and the PTA has been trying to find places for the rest of the students.
“We are looking at Bon Air Primary or the old block of Five Rivers Secondary which is now empty.”
She said Standard Four pupils are supposed to do the practical aspect of their physical education course in the Continuous Assessment Component of the Secondary Entrance Assessment examination.
Standards One to Three are also supposed to be preparing for the upcoming National Test, she said.
A worker at the EFCL, after hearing about the problem at Arouca Government Primary, said yesterday: “Oh, that is repairs.” She transferred the T&T Guardian to a line that gave this voice mail: “We can’t take your call now.”
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Close to 900 students of the Chaguanas Government Primary School continue to remain at home as their parents were told there would be further delays in awarding a contract to repair the school’s malfunctioning sewer system.
PTA president, Lyndon Mohammed, said school officials informed them Friday that a contract was awarded for the project.
“We thought work would begin Saturday but then read of the problems at the EFCL in the newspapers.
“Now we don’t know when work would actually begin.” Mohammed said the PTA planned a general membership meeting yesterday evening to strategise on what they could do to help alleviate the problem.